Yuan Chonghuan's face immediately darkened, and he even distanced himself from Mao Wenlong.
Then he said sternly, "Mao Wenlong, are you trying to rebel?"
Mao Wenlong paused for a moment, then quickly shook his head.
"Minister Yuan, what are you thinking? How could I dare to rebel?"
Yuan Chonghuan coldly replied, "Since you don't want to rebel, then why talk about joining forces?"
"Hmph, let me tell you, I am not Zhong Hui."
Mao Wenlong's mind raced, and he finally realized what Yuan Chonghuan had misunderstood.
He thought to himself helplessly, "What is Yuan Chonghuan thinking? I am not Jiang Wei, and he is certainly not Zhong Hui."
Mao Wenlong stepped forward and said earnestly to Yuan Chonghuan:
"Minister Yuan, you still don't understand."
"What I mean is that we should join forces and help each other in the court in the future."
He had put it this way, and Yuan Chonghuan finally understood.
"So it was all about forming cliques for personal gain?" Yuan Chonghuan sneered and shook his head. "That's unnecessary!"
He, Yuan Chonghuan, was the Minister of War. When he returned to the capital to meet Zhu Youjian, he was to get the matter of abolishing the feudal system and establishing counties in Goryeo settled.
There will definitely be a title then.
He could easily form his own faction, so why did he have to get involved with Mao Wenlong?
Seemingly sensing Yuan Chonghuan's thoughts, Mao Wenlong shook his head slightly.
"Minister Yuan, do you think that abolishing the Goryeo Kingdom is already a sure thing?"
"But I must tell you, there's still a chance this matter could change."
Sure enough, Yuan Chonghuan wavered upon hearing this.
For the first time, he took the initiative to ask, "What do you mean by that?"
Mao Wenlong felt reassured and took the initiative to explain.
"Minister Yuan, have you forgotten that there were already people in the court who opposed the plan to establish a province in Liaodong?"
"It was only after the emperor himself refuted them that it was finally approved."
"Do you really think that establishing a province in Goryeo will go smoothly?"
Yuan Chonghuan quickly replied, "What's impossible about that!"
"The emperor had only been on the throne for a year when he launched a series of military campaigns against Liaodong, which shows that the emperor also wanted to expand the territory."
"and……"
He originally intended to use the death of the King of Goryeo as evidence as well.
If Zhu Youjian hadn't harbored any ill intentions towards Goryeo, he would never have tacitly allowed the Embroidered Uniform Guard to take action.
But it's not something I can tell outsiders.
So Yuan Chonghuan coughed and then said, "In short, the emperor must agree with this matter."
"Even if there are opponents in the court, it will eventually succeed."
But Mao Wenlong said with a smile:
"Lord Yuan is right, but have you forgotten that this matter will inevitably succeed in the end?"
"But by then, it might not be you who will be handling this matter?"
Yuan Chonghuan's heart tightened; he had already understood what Mao Wenlong meant.
The situation in Goryeo was not as urgent as the pacification of the Jurchens.
It's quite normal for the imperial court to have arguments for three to five years.
It's hard to say whether I'll be able to reap such great rewards a few years from now.
Yuan Chonghuan frowned and asked, "Mao Wenlong, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Mao Wenlong then revealed his true intentions.
"Minister Yuan, my meaning is very simple."
"I intend to petition the court to declare war on Japan."
"At that time, Minister Yuan, please give me your full support."
“Once war breaks out, Goryeo will be the front line, so it would be most appropriate to directly take over the rule of the imperial court.”
"When I go to Japan to make a name for myself, you will also gain merit. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
Yuan Chonghuan stared wide-eyed at Mao Wenlong, seemingly unable to believe what he was saying.
But upon closer reflection, he wasn't so surprised.
When Mao Wenlong was still on Pi Island, he often acted on his own and did not listen to the imperial court.
That's why Yuan Chonghuan decided to kill him.
Historically, some have even preferred to kill him, allowing Pi Island to collapse without a fight.
It seems normal that Mao Wenlong now wants to initiate wars with other countries.
Yuan Chonghuan thought to himself, "No wonder civil officials and military generals have always been at odds."
"So that actually makes sense."
"If these military generals gain power, won't you be constantly waging war against other countries?"
"Hmph, Mao Wenlong is indeed a treacherous minister!"
However, when Yuan Chonghuan spoke, he completely changed his tune: "Japan has no enmity with our Great Ming Dynasty, so how can we wage war against them?"
Mao Wenlong was overjoyed, but said aloud, "Isn't this pretext for starting a war readily available?"
"Looking back, we can use the Japanese pirates of that time as an excuse; looking closer, we can use the Imjin War as an example."
Yuan Chonghuan nodded.
"That makes sense."
"Japan has always been an enemy of our Great Ming Dynasty, and it is indeed necessary to teach it a lesson."
"If you, Lord Mao, were to submit a memorial to the court, I would certainly agree with you."
Mao Wenlong quickly grasped Yuan Chonghuan's hand: "In that case, Minister Yuan, it's settled then!"
The two whispered a few more details before parting ways.
After they left, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng emerged from the corner.
Zhang Xianzhong said with a smug look on his face, "Little Li, wasn't I right?"
“If I just give Mao Wenlong a little persuasion, he will definitely be tempted.”
Li Zicheng said helplessly, "You're getting cocky!"
"Isn't this the knowledge that Mr. Gao taught us?"
"As long as those military generals get a taste of the benefits of fighting abroad, they will definitely not agree to turn swords into plowshares, even if you want them to."
Zhang Xianzhong said nonchalantly, "It is true that this is the knowledge taught by Mr. Gao, but I, Old Zhang, can apply it flexibly. Isn't that also my skill?"
Then he burst into laughter again.
"Hehe, now it's going to be a big battle between the Beiyang Army and Japan. How interesting, how interesting."
Seeing Zhang Xianzhong's expression, Li Zicheng was speechless.
"You really know how to stir up trouble."
"No matter what, Japan is a large country with a population of ten or twenty million, and its area is equivalent to a province of my Great Ming Dynasty."
"It's not something that can be taken so easily."
Zhang Xianzhong shook his head and said:
"Even if we can't take it, so what? Can Japan turn around and attack our Ming Dynasty?"
Li Zicheng raised an eyebrow, about to say something, when he heard Zhang Xianzhong continue:
"Anyway, the main force that attacked Japan this time was the surrendered Jurchens and the Beiyang soldiers newly recruited by Yuan Chonghuan in Korea."
"Even if all these people die, it won't be a loss for our Great Ming Dynasty; in fact, it might even be a good thing."
"But if they win and truly conquer Japan, that would be an even greater achievement."
After thinking for a moment, Li Zicheng sighed and said, "You've got some nerve!"
Zhang Xianzhong was all smiles.
"Is this the first time you've known I'm daring?"
"Alright, stop looking so gloomy. We'll be heading back to the capital soon."
"You should think about how to explain things to Mr. Gao when we meet him."
"We've skipped so much class, Mr. Gao is definitely going to be angry!"
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