The memorial sent by Li Fangyuan made Zhu Xiong Ying laugh. He felt that there was no problem with what Li Fangyuan said. Because, logically speaking, it seemed to make perfect sense, and Busan had indeed been occupied by the Ming Dynasty.

But no one should laugh at anyone else. Since Yi Seong-gye could usurp the throne, the Ming Dynasty could naturally punish him as well. Yi Seong-gye was thinking of recapturing Busan to strengthen his power, so Zhu Xiong Ying could consider giving Yi Seong-gye some blows to make the people of Goryeo behave themselves.

Zhu Xiong Ying immediately began to find fault. The term "authoritative authority over state affairs" was problematic because the Ming Dynasty had not yet granted such permission. What did this mean? It meant that Yi Seong-gye clearly harbored considerable ambition!

Furthermore, Zhu Xiong Ying also sternly rebuked them, saying that in recent years, the people of Goryeo had allowed the Japanese pirates to occupy the area and harass the borders of the Ming Dynasty. Since the people of Goryeo were not doing their proper work, the Ming Dynasty naturally had to send troops to punish them.

When it comes to grand principles and such, no one is bad at it. It's not just Li Fangyuan who's good at it; Zhu Xiong Ying is also quite adept at it. No one is afraid of anyone else, and none of them have anything to be proud of. They're all shameless and only think about arguments that benefit themselves.

It couldn't really be called a 'state letter,' because neither Zhu Xiong Ying nor Li Fang Yuan were qualified to call it a state letter at that time. However, one thing is certain: their dialogue could be considered semi-official.

That's enough, really. Everyone knows that this is just a matter of diplomacy before resorting to force. Since reasoning won't work now, the only way forward will be on the battlefield, and that's when a chance to talk might finally come.

However, by then, it will be clear who is in a stronger position. At that point, the conversation will essentially be one where the victor can assert their dominance, and it won't be so 'polite' anymore; it will likely be more barbed than polite.

Zhu Xiong Ying felt pretty good. His Ming army was now fully prepared for war, and everyone was ready to teach this small barbarian tribe a lesson.

Feng Sheng, fully armored, once again entered the central command tent. "Your Highness, this humble general is determined to win. If our Great Ming army launches a full-scale attack, we will surely be able to settle the score in one fell swoop."

"If we fight the enemy with all our might, how many of our Ming soldiers might we lose?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked seriously, getting straight to the point.

Feng Sheng remained silent for a moment, then clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the battlefield is ever-changing, and this humble general dares not guarantee anything. These Goryeo people are indeed fierce and savage. If they want to annihilate the enemy completely, the casualties of our royal army will likely be considerable."

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded and then asked, "If that's the case, then it's good to hurt them. The people in Japan are also fierce and savage, and the two shogunates have only just unified. These are not things I want to see. The more chaotic those daimyo and samurai are, the better."

Feng Sheng frowned and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "But Your Highness, if we cannot conquer Goryeo, our Great Ming army will be difficult to command."

"The strategy of 'borrowing a path to conquer Guo' is also worth considering," Zhu Xiong Ying said after careful consideration. "Goryeo and Japan are two very different things. The Japanese are ruthless and gamblers at heart; they are a bunch of wolves that cannot be tamed. Although Goryeo is not good either, it seems that these people now know that things are serious."

The so-called "serving the great" is actually a Confucian diplomatic concept, which is a strategy for small countries to serve large countries in order to preserve themselves when there is a balance of power.

Feng Sheng seemed to understand and said, "Your Highness means to inflict a heavy blow on Goryeo, and then use Goryeo as a vanguard to conquer and destroy Japan?"

That would be ideal, and Zhu Xiong Ying was also looking forward to it. Japan was currently in a weakened state, and it would be perfect to seize the opportunity to conquer and destroy them.

Zhu Xiong Ying's interest in Japan went beyond just the silver mines.

Historically, the Joseon Dynasty was quite powerful, especially in its early years. Yi Seong-gye further strengthened his control over the Jurchen tribes in northeastern Korea through appeasement and military conquest, extending his territory to the Tumen River. During Yi Seong-gye's reign, Japanese pirates largely dared not harass Joseon anymore.

Historically, the Joseon Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty initially had a tense relationship. This was due to historical reasons, as the two countries were founded around the same time. Prior to this, during the Goryeo period, relations between the Ming Dynasty and Goryeo were strained.

Even after Goryeo was destroyed, there were still many remnants of the Yuan dynasty in Korea. Furthermore, due to issues such as the Cheolryeong Guard, relations between the two countries did not fundamentally improve after Yi Seong-gye established the Joseon Dynasty.

Although the Ming Dynasty and Korea had relatively good relations historically, this was largely due to the favorable treatment of Korea by their unfortunate son, Zhu Yunwen. This included Zhu Di's generosity in ceding some areas inhabited by the Jurchen people to the Joseon Dynasty.

Zhu Xiong Ying didn't know what to say about these things, but she felt she definitely needed to work harder. Otherwise, many good places would be given away, providing some people with the means to survive and thrive. Besides, some things really can't be done generously.

This could be considered Zhu Xiong Ying's attitude; he needed the current Joseon Dynasty to be his dog. He needed this vicious dog to tear apart Japan. Zhu Xiong Ying also knew the extreme pride of the Korean people, pride bordering on inferiority and arrogance. These traitors were also utterly ruthless.

If we were to fight against Japan, this vicious dog would still be quite useful, at least it would reduce the casualties among the Ming army and civilians.

Zhu Xiong Ying and Feng Sheng discussed some things in detail. It was necessary to promote peace through war. Zhu Xiong Ying was not entirely sure how far the war should go or what it should look like.

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