Chapter 641: Where the Sun and Moon Shine, All Is the Great Ming

After the report is delivered, they will wait for Your Majesty's decision.

It's just that Joseon certainly won't agree to this sort of thing anytime soon—it can only be done step by step.

Zhang Yu wasn't anxious either. Once the staff office personnel arrived, the two of them could discuss how to push this matter forward.

At this moment, the Joseon king's expression was rather unpleasant.

The face of Zhang Shunyao beside him was even uglier.

Compared to the Joseon king, Zhang Shunyao understood better what this signified.

The king probably wouldn't be replaced—even if the Great Ming wanted to do something, they would drag the king along with them. But people like them were different. Judging from the current situation, the Great Ming was going to help Queen Inmok, which meant the elders faction.

This was hardly good news for Zhang Shunyao. If things really were like this, then what came afterward could turn very bad. The impact on his own faction and on himself personally was far too great—he had no choice but to weigh the gains and losses.

Zhang Yu held a teacup in his hand, watching the sovereign and his minister across from him with an expressionless face.

He wasn't afraid at all that they would refuse. After all, he already held the Queen Inmok card in his hand and could play it at any time. What's more, with so many factions in Joseon, he could also pick one at any time to support.

Doing these things, Zhang Yu felt not the slightest burden in his heart. At this very moment, he could sit steady as a rock, not worrying in the least that Joseon's sovereign and ministers might stir up trouble.

"Why not let us handle this matter instead?" Li Zong thought for a moment and said, "The Great Ming has come from afar and isn't familiar with Joseon's affairs. Besides, these are inherently heavy tasks—why trouble yourselves with them? Just hand the weapons over to us, and we will certainly distribute them. Rest assured, we will select the finest troops and absolutely will not delay matters."

"Your Majesty, forgive me for speaking bluntly," Zhang Yu said somewhat rudely. "Joseon's military forces are utterly insignificant in the eyes of the Great Ming, so when the Great Ming selects, it doesn't look at whether they are elite or not."

"Even the most elite among them are not as elite as the Great Ming's armies. So when the Great Ming chooses troops, what it looks at is whether they can coordinate effectively with the Great Ming's forces. Only such troops will receive the Great Ming's support and obtain the Great Ming's equipment."

"In this regard, naturally the Imperial Navy of the Great Ming understands best, so it's best for them to decide this matter."

Though these words sounded overbearing, they were also reasonable and logical—but on closer thought, that wasn't the case at all.

This made the Joseon king Li Zong and Zhang Shunyao discover another very frightening thing: when the Great Ming selected troops, it didn't even consider strength or weakness.

As for Zhang Yu's talk about considering coordination issues, Li Zong and the other didn't believe a word of it. In their view, this was Zhang Yu's trick to fool ghosts. The troops the Great Ming chose would certainly be ones willing to cooperate with them or obey their commands—or even ones belonging to the elders faction.

This made Li Zong furious, feeling he had been toyed with.

Glancing at Zhang Shunyao beside him, Li Zong hoped this minister would step forward, help him push back against the Great Ming's envoy, and then discuss other matters.

But Zhang Shunyao wasn't stupid either. He did indeed support Li Zong, but this support was not what Li Zong imagined it to be.

The reason they had supported Li Zong back then was that they were following Queen Inmok—to put it plainly, it was to gain power and status, to let their own faction rise. It was under such circumstances that they supported Li Zong.

As for thinking highly of Li Zong himself—that was impossible, since Li Zong had only been seven years old at the time.

And now that problems had arisen, Zhang Shunyao wouldn't place all his hopes on the Joseon king either. They needed to find another path.

This made Zhang Shunyao think of another question: there was nothing wrong with his own side either. Though they were the young turks faction, that didn't mean he had no foundation. If he had no foundation, how could he have risen? How could his faction hold power?

To put it plainly, there were still people supporting him, and there were troops too. If he could pull these things into his own army, what kind of effect would that have?

Once he had such an army and obtained the Great Ming's support, he could even crush the elders faction, let alone bother keeping Queen Inmok in mind.

An old woman with one foot in the grave—even if she were cured, so what?

This was no longer long, long ago. Now, whoever had money, power, and soldiers in hand was the one who called the shots.

Under these circumstances, Zhang Shunyao's interests came into conflict with those of the Joseon king Li Zong.

Though he couldn't openly oppose his own king, Zhang Shunyao also wasn't prepared to simply compromise, and he certainly wouldn't step forward at this moment to clash head-on with the Great Ming's envoy—that was completely unnecessary and would affect his subsequent plans.

Zhang Shunyao stood there without moving a muscle, turning a blind eye to Li Zong's gaze.

Zhang Shunyao actually didn't trust Li Zong either.

If he really went straight up and clashed with the Great Ming's envoy, angering them, then when that time came, his own king might not necessarily be able to protect him. If the Great Ming wanted to deal with him, the king truly might have no way to stop it.

With such considerations, Zhang Shunyao was even less likely to step forward, putting on an air of letting things take their course.

Li Zong was absolutely furious!

You're supposed to be my trusted confidant—what did I bring you here for?

Not to have you stand there watching the show. When even at a time like this you won't step up, you're utterly useless! What do I need you for?

Zhang Yu drank his tea unhurriedly.

He wasn't worried in the least about this reaction from Joseon's sovereign and minister. For Zhang Yu, whatever the Great Ming wanted, they just needed to hand it over without any grumbling; if they wouldn't give it, then the Great Ming would use its own methods to take it—that was the most fitting approach.

"There's no need to rush this matter now either." Zhang Yu set down his teacup and said, "After all, the people and the goods haven't arrived yet. Once they do, results will naturally follow."

Waiting would never produce results, but the behind-the-scenes work had to be done.

On this point, Zhang Yu believed that as long as Song Xiang did her part well over there, this side would feel tremendous pressure. Moreover, as long as he left the palace now, once word got out, people would take the initiative to contact him.

Not to mention anything else—the elders faction wouldn't be able to sit still. If Queen Inmok's health could recover, the chance for the elders faction to turn things around would come. But besides Queen Inmok, they also needed someone to support them, since one queen wasn't enough. Who was more suitable than the Great Ming?

The elders faction would certainly come looking for him.

"Yes." Li Zong nodded awkwardly and said, "Then let's wait until the people and goods have both arrived before discussing it."

"Then if there's nothing else, I shall take my leave." Zhang Yu stood up, bowing slightly as he spoke.

"See the envoy off on my behalf!" the Joseon king said, looking at Zhang Shunyao.

Though he was very dissatisfied with this minister, Li Zong also knew that at this moment he had to stay steady. If he couldn't hold himself together, things would easily go wrong.

After leaving the Joseon royal palace, Zhang Yu smiled and cupped his hands toward Zhang Shunyao, saying, "Lord Zhang is a young talent of Joseon. We're about the same age, so I'm sure we'll have plenty of topics to discuss."

"This time when we attack the Wa nation, there will be a great deal of territory to distribute, and I'm not familiar with the Wa nation's customs and culture. If the opportunity arises, I hope Lord Zhang won't hesitate to enlighten me—let's have a good chat in private."

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Shunyao's pupils contracted sharply.

He naturally understood that this was goodwill Zhang Yu was releasing, using the anticipated victory of this campaign against the Wa nation. It was telling him that after winning this war against the Wa, there would be much territory to divide, and part of it would belong to Joseon. But how it was ultimately divided would be decided by the Great Ming.

What a huge piece of cake, what enormous benefits! How could Zhang Shunyao not be tempted?

Even if he himself weren't tempted, the faction he belonged to would be.

Zhang Shunyao hurriedly said, "Being able to exchange ideas with Lord Zhang is also my honor. There's no problem with this matter. Within the next few days, I'll find time to visit you at the post station, and then I'll ask you to enlighten me."

"Easy to arrange, easy to arrange." Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Then I'll be waiting for you, Lord Zhang. Farewell."

"See the envoy off." Zhang Shunyao said with a smile.

After getting into the carriage, the smile on Zhang Yu's face slowly faded.

The carriage began to move slowly, and Zhang Yu quietly sank into deep thought.

Not far after walking out, Zhang Yu spotted Song Xiang's carriage.

Clearly, Song Xiang had been waiting here for Zhang Yu all along.

After a brief pause, Song Xiang boarded Zhang Yu's carriage.

Glancing at Zhang Yu, Song Xiang asked: "How did it go? Smoothly?"

"What's there to be unsmooth about?" Zhang Yu said with a smile: "Do they have the right to refuse? Do they have the courage to refuse? They have nothing at all—how could they refuse?"

"Why do I like it so much when you talk big?" Song Xiang shot Zhang Yu a look and said.

"This isn't talking big." Zhang Yu smiled as well and said: "This is the confidence of Great Ming. It is precisely because of such confidence that we dare to speak such words."

"The reason the famously renowned Tang Jian and Wang Xuance of history could accomplish such awe-inspiring deeds was precisely because there was a powerful nation behind them. I am the same—no matter to what extent I can achieve, it is all because Great Ming stands behind me. Wherever the sun and moon shine, all is Great Ming."

Song Xiang looked at Zhang Yu and said: "Is that your dream?"

"No. Those are Your Majesty's words." Zhang Yu shook his head and said: "Back when Your Majesty was chatting with us, His Majesty once said exactly this: Wherever the mountains and rivers lie, all is Han territory; wherever the sun and moon shine, all is Great Ming."

"Your Majesty also told us that if the youth are strong, the nation will be strong. He told us to study hard, and that one day we would surely be able to realize this dream. All these years, Your Majesty has been striving ceaselessly, and I too have watched Great Ming grow stronger step by step."

"Having reached where we are today, we too can finally fulfill the promises of those years, and realize this dream step by step. So this time, with the matter of Joseon, no matter what means are used, only success is permitted—failure is not an option."

"Joseon and the Wa nation are the new territories of Great Ming!"