Seeing that Bi Ziyan still opposed it, Zhu Youjian became really angry.
"Where did I go wrong?"
Bi Ziyan took a deep breath, then slowly said:
"Your Majesty, the performance of these canal workers after they entered Goryeo was not very good."
"Moreover, these canal workers were carefully selected by the imperial court."
"If their performance is like this, then the other canal workers are even less trustworthy."
At this point, other people chimed in.
A vice minister of the Ministry of War stepped forward: "I second that proposal."
"Minister Yuan was at a loss after entering Goryeo because the canal workers could not be trusted."
This statement seems to be in support of Bi Ziyan, and also appears to be an attempt to exonerate Yuan Chonghuan for voluntarily withdrawing his troops.
But Zhu Youjian, having been educated by Gao Qingyun for so long, was no longer the naive young man he was when he first ascended the throne.
He immediately realized that the Vice Minister of War was implying something more.
Zhu Youjian deliberately feigned a look of doubt: "Is that really so?"
The vice minister was overjoyed and quickly said:
"Your subject dares not speak presumptuously!"
"What I said is also the consensus of everyone in the Ministry of War. These canal workers are indeed unreliable, which is why Minister Yuan took the initiative to leave, causing our Great Ming to lose face!"
Zhu Youjian was now even more certain that the vice minister was ostensibly making excuses for Yuan Chonghuan's withdrawal of troops.
Actually, they're still making things difficult for him.
At this time, the Jurchens had deployed more than 40,000 troops to Goryeo, with over 10,000 troops stationed at the Gaeseong front alone.
These are all elite troops of the Eight Banners. Even if the imperial court were to send out 10,000 men to train them, they might not be able to defeat them.
Not to mention the 10,000 canal workers that Yuan Chonghuan brought with him.
Therefore, Zhu Youjian did not pay much attention to Yuan Chonghuan's withdrawal of troops.
However, the vice minister kept bringing up this matter, wanting to repeatedly remind the emperor that Yuan Chonghuan was not trustworthy.
Zhu Youjian was speechless for a moment: "Isn't Yuan Chonghuan's character a bit too bad?"
"He had been the Minister of War for several months, but it was his own subordinates in the Ministry of War who were the first to jump out and undermine him!"
"No wonder he was executed by slow slicing in history."
"Given his popularity, even if he really succeeded in pacifying Liaodong in five years, he would probably be framed by his ministers and die a violent death."
The emperor coughed and looked at the other ministers.
"Do you, my esteemed ministers, also think so?"
The ministers all nodded in agreement: "That is indeed what we all think."
Zhu Youjian smirked, thinking to himself:
"And you still call yourselves 'ministers'? Well, so you were in cahoots all along."
"Could it be that you dare not deal with Master Gao's disciples, so you're going after Yuan Chonghuan instead?"
If there was no collusion, the officials could only express their own opinions.
It is impossible for them to utter the words "you, our subjects".
However, the fact that Zhu Youjian could see these things shows that he had indeed grown a lot.
Zhu Youjian remained expressionless and did not fly into a rage. Instead, he gently tapped the desk.
“My dear ministers, the fact that Lord Yuan withdrew his troops after arriving in Goryeo does not necessarily mean that there was a problem with the canal workers.”
"The Jurchens are still the most powerful force."
"Besides, I have also sent Zhang Xianzhong to help him. I think even if Lord Yuan retreats at the beginning, he will eventually be able to fight back."
Since the emperor had said so, the courtiers naturally dared not directly oppose him.
Even without considering Gao Qingyun behind Zhang Xianzhong, they were still afraid of the young emperor Zhu Youjian.
"Your Majesty is absolutely right."
But Bi Ziyan remained standing still.
"Your Majesty is mistaken!"
He kept repeating the same thing all day, like a broken record.
“Zhang Xianzhong came from a commoner family and had never led troops into battle, let alone operated artillery.”
"If he joins Lord Yuan's army, he'll be lucky if he doesn't become a hindrance, let alone an asset."
Bi Ziyan bowed deeply to the ground.
"Your Majesty must not extend your trust in Master Gao to his disciples as well."
"War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death; one should not easily trust others."
Even if Zhu Youjian was angry when Bi Ziyan talked about other things, he could still barely hold back.
But after he steered the conversation toward Gao Qingyun, Zhu Youjian slammed his hand on the table and abruptly stood up.
"Bi Ziyan, how dare you!"
"How dare you slander Master Gao?"
Bi Ziyan wasn't afraid.
He now truly regards Zhu Youjian as the restorer of the Ming Dynasty.
In his view, if he could make the emperor a little more sober and stop blindly trusting Gao Qingyun, he would be able to achieve his goal.
Even if he dies, it won't be a loss.
Bi Ziyan said calmly, "Your Majesty, I have not slandered Master Gao."
"What I mean is, I hope you won't trust Master Gao's disciples too much."
Zhu Youjian's face turned ashen. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Luo Yangxing standing at the entrance of the main hall, sneaking around and looking inside, holding a memorial in his hand.
They seemed to want to come in but were too afraid to.
But a strange smile remained on his face.
It's like watching a joke.
Zhu Youjian immediately retorted angrily, "Luo Yangxing, what are you doing lurking around the door like that?"
"Get inside here!"
Luo Yangxing hurriedly ran in, knelt down, raised his hands high above his head, and held up the memorial.
"Your Majesty, this is a report from the Governor of Shandong Province concerning Goryeo."
The Qilu region of the Ming Dynasty was much larger than in later periods, even including a part of Liaodong.
Therefore, reports concerning Goryeo also had to be passed through the hands of the governor of Shandong.
Zhu Youjian quickly said, "Bring up the memorial!"
Wang Chengen, who was standing next to him, quickly walked over, retrieved the memorial, and handed it to the emperor.
Zhu Youjian lowered his head and began to read carefully.
The emperor fell silent, but the courtiers began to whisper among themselves.
"What exactly did this report say?"
"It's most likely that the Jurchens continued their southward advance and have already captured the Han capital."
"Sigh, these Koreans are ridiculously weak!"
"I just don't know if the Jurchens fought against Yuan Chonghuan."
"I don't think so, right? Wasn't it said that the man surnamed Yuan had already led his troops south?"
"Heh, hard to say! The man surnamed Yuan isn't very good at leading troops, and this time he's leading canal workers. Even if he wanted to run, he probably wouldn't be able to run fast!"
"And then there's Zhang Xianzhong..."
Shh! Don't say things like that!
As soon as the topic turned to Zhang Xianzhong, someone interrupted.
They were genuinely afraid of Gao Qingyun.
But no one can control what they're thinking, even if they don't say it out loud.
"Heh, Zhang Xianzhong is a madman. What use would he be if he went to the front lines?"
"The emperor trusts Master Gao far too much; this is not a blessing for the country!"
"Not long ago, the imperial court dealt with the gentry in the southeast. I'm afraid Master Gao was behind this!"
They knew very well that Zhu Youjian had been educated by Confucian scholars before he ascended the throne.
Even if he doesn't become a moralist, he shouldn't have such great hostility towards the gentry.
However, after Zhu Youjian ascended the throne, he first targeted the Donglin Party, and then "pursued" them all the way to Jiangnan.
Those with a keen eye will naturally notice something amiss and begin to suspect Gao Qingyun.
"That Master Gao seems to know some tricks of summoning wind and rain. Could he be a Taoist?"
"Good heavens, so it's a clash between Confucianism and Taoism, huh?"
Fortunately, Zhang Xianzhong was unaware of these things; otherwise, given his adolescent delusions, he would probably have gone mad again.
Meanwhile, Zhu Youjian, who was on the dragon throne, had already finished reading the memorial.
His face lit up with joy, and he laughed heartily, "Excellent! Zhang Xianzhong has truly brought honor to our Ming Dynasty this time!"
Upon hearing this, the ministers all wore very strange expressions.
"Why does Your Majesty say such a thing?"
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