Zhang Xianzhong glanced back at the King of Goryeo and said coldly, "What's wrong with that?"
"Are you so stingy with your military pay that my Ming soldiers are fighting for your Goryeo?"
The King of Goryeo quickly shook his head.
"The military pay is no problem, but the land..."
He smiled wryly and said, "So that the envoy from the superior country may know that all the lands of Goryeo have masters."
"Even if you sell Xiao Wang, you still can't raise enough money for these million acres of land!"
Zhang Xianzhong sneered upon hearing this.
"What master? Where are those masters you're talking about?"
The King of Goryeo was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood what Zhang Xianzhong meant.
He gritted his teeth and asked, "Lord Zhang, do you intend to seize the land of our Goryeo civil and military officials?"
"This...this is not impossible, but at the very least, you should wait until the Jurchens have retreated before doing this, right?"
This King of Goryeo was no ordinary man; he rose to power by rebelling against his own uncle.
"The Jurchens haven't even retreated yet, and you're already trying to seize the lands of the Liangban people. They're starting to side with the Jurchens!"
His concerns were not unfounded.
Even Zhang Xianzhong thought highly of him.
"I didn't expect you to have such insight?"
"But you're overthinking it."
“My Great Ming army is invincible. Even if the noble families of your Goryeo have all submitted to the Jurchens, I will not take them seriously.”
At this moment, Yuan Chonghuan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
"King of Goryeo, I have learned some things about your country since I arrived in Goryeo."
“Your civil and military nobles have become too powerful to control.”
"You can take advantage of this opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop."
"After Liaodong is pacified, I will report to the court and allow these canal workers to settle in your Goryeo and become your new nobles."
"Wouldn't your Goryeo kingdom be even more secure then?"
Yuan Chonghuan was unaware of Zhu Youjian's thoughts.
In his view, after destroying the Jurchens, the Ming Dynasty could put away its weapons and let its horses graze freely.
At most, they would pay attention to Mongolia in the north and the displaced people causing internal unrest.
As for Goryeo, let them continue to stay behind closed doors and live their own lives.
If the more than 10,000 canal workers he brought this time were to be taken back to the Ming Dynasty, a large sum of money would be spent on their severance pay.
Since that's the case, it would be better to leave them in Goryeo.
After hearing these words, the King of Goryeo was somewhat moved.
Yuan Chonghuan was not wrong.
The original nobles of Goryeo were indeed rotten to the core.
He's neither good at literature nor martial arts, but he's best at causing trouble for the King of Goryeo.
After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Since that's the case, then... then so be it!"
"I will go and write an imperial edict to spread this news throughout Goryeo!"
After saying that, he turned and ran away.
After he left, Zhang Xianzhong suddenly gave Yuan Chonghuan a thumbs-up.
"Old Yuan, that's brilliant."
Yuan Chonghuan did not understand what he meant.
He frowned at Zhang Xianzhong: "Where am I tall?"
Zhang Xianzhong laughed loudly, "I must say, your methods are brilliant!"
"With just a few words, they managed to fool the King of Goryeo."
Yuan Chonghuan still didn't understand.
But there was no need for him to ask again; Zhang Xianzhong had already begun to explain on his own.
"If the canal workers succeed in this battle and actually gain control of Goryeo's land, do you really think they will obediently become Goryeo's subjects?"
Yuan Chonghuan was startled: "You mean that some of them will rebel and seize the throne of Goryeo from the Joseon Dynasty?"
Zhang Xianzhong shook his head with a smile.
"They don't have the guts."
"What I mean is, they definitely won't be convinced by that Li family."
As he spoke, he turned and stared into Yuan Chonghuan's eyes.
"Old Yuan, Goryeo is not a rich place, but it is not too barren either."
"This peninsula is also in a very important location."
Yuan Chonghuan became more and more confused as he listened.
"Zhang Xianzhong, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Only then did Zhang Xianzhong reveal his true thoughts.
"What I want to say is simple: abolish the Li family and establish a county in Goryeo."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Chonghuan was stunned on the spot.
After a moment, he said, "You're really dreaming!"
"The Joseon Dynasty has been passed down for over two hundred years; how could it be so easily destroyed?"
Zhang Xianzhong rolled his eyes.
"What's so difficult about that?"
"Over the past few hundred years, Goryeo has not only learned our Chinese customs, but has even stolen a lot of our written language."
"They stole so much, so what if we turn around and steal their country?"
“This can’t be called stealing.” Yuan Chonghuan frowned and shook his head.
But then he thought about it again, and realized that what Zhang Xianzhong said, although it did sound like a fantasy at first, was indeed quite far-fetched.
However, upon closer examination, it does seem not impossible.
Goryeo has always considered itself a miniature China, and its scholars are all Confucian scholars.
Moreover, they themselves did not consider themselves as outer vassal states, but rather as inner vassal princes of the Ming Dynasty.
So, it seems reasonable for the Ming Dynasty, as the suzerain state, to abolish the feudal domains and establish counties.
Yuan Chonghuan thought about it and it made more and more sense, and he gradually became tempted.
He now understood that he was unlikely to make any significant contributions in this great battle to quell the Jurchen rebellion.
But if he were to cause Goryeo to become an annexation of Goryeo, then he would still have a chance to be remembered in history.
"The Goryeo region spans a thousand miles; even if it were taken over by the Ming Dynasty, it would be enough to establish a Provincial Administration Commission."
Yuan Chonghuan pursed his lips and began to analyze the situation in his mind.
After the Japanese invasion, the Goryeo kingdom was in turmoil.
After the rise of the Jurchens, Goryeo was also invaded by them twice, and some people did indeed have thoughts of changing their minds.
The reason why Goryeo has not yet changed dynasties is partly because it is supported by the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchens, neither of whom want Goryeo to be too chaotic.
Secondly, there is the inertia of the Li family's rule.
If the King of Goryeo really listened to my advice and distributed all of Goryeo's fertile land to the canal workers, then he would definitely have a complete falling out with the original yangban nobles of Goryeo.
Beset by internal and external troubles, abolishing the Goryeo Kingdom was indeed a feasible option.
Yuan Chonghuan suddenly looked up and asked Zhang Xianzhong, "Is this the emperor's wish, or your own idea?"
Zhang Xianzhong remained completely unperturbed.
Although Zhu Youjian never actually said that, he was still able to elevate Qingyun's reputation.
He chuckled and said, "Well... when I was taking classes with Mr. Gao, he mentioned it several times."
"As for what His Majesty is thinking, I have no idea."
However, Yuan Chonghuan had no more concerns after hearing this.
Who in the entire Ming Dynasty doesn't know this now?
Zhu Youjian himself might have considered retracting his order.
But if it was Master Gao's idea, Zhu Youjian would definitely do as he said.
Moreover...
"Our emperor has only been on the throne for a short time, yet he has already launched a series of military campaigns against the Jurchens. It's clear he has an ambitious and eager-to-achieve nature."
"Abolishing the Goryeo Kingdom is also in line with his character."
Yuan Chonghuan no longer hesitated.
"Zhang Xianzhong, you just go and start a war against the Jurchens."
"Leave everything else to me."
"Whether you can defeat the Jurchens or not, I am determined to destroy the Goryeo Kingdom."
Zhang Xianzhong was not happy about this.
"Old Yuan, that's not a very meaningful thing to say."
"How could I possibly be no match for the Jurchens? That's a joke!"
"Someone, bring my four godson over here."
Watching Zhang Xianzhong walk away cursing and swearing, Yuan Chonghuan shook his head.
Then he turned around and whispered instructions to the Imperial Guards behind him.
"Go and make some preparations. Pick one of the ships we brought to Goryeo and tamper with it."
"After Zhang Xianzhong defeated the Jurchens, I advised the King of Goryeo to come to the capital to meet the emperor."
“If Zhang Xianzhong loses the battle, the King of Goryeo will surely have to flee by boat.”
"At that time..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com