Chapter 1384: Goryeo Bends the Knee

"The Goryeo envoys—what gifts have they prepared for our chancellor?" Inside Chuigong Hall, Emperor Liu lounged on a long bench in a leisurely pose, swaying gently as he asked in a slow, measured tone.

Standing in attendance was Zhang Dejun, Director of the Palace City Office. Upon hearing the question, he immediately reported: "According to reports, there are ten luminous pearls, a hundred catties of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, and five Goryeo beauties..."

"Heh heh, truly a generous gift! These Goryeo people certainly know how to be lavish!" Emperor Liu chuckled lightly. "How did Zhao Pu handle it?"

Zhang Dejun said: "After Chancellor Zhao returned to his residence and learned that the Goryeo envoys had presented gifts, he ordered the pearls, gold, and silver to be sealed and turned over to the state treasury. As for those Goryeo beauties, they were all transferred to the Bureau of Music. All gifts were refused outright, and Goryeo's Seo Hui was not granted a private audience either!"

Zhang Dejun's tone was calm and impartial, yet it gave Emperor Liu a feeling that he was biased toward Zhao Pu, prompting him to cast a glance at him. Withdrawing his gaze, Emperor Liu said meaningfully: "It seems Zhao Pu is increasingly protective of his own reputation!"

Zhao Pu's conduct as an official in the central government was completely different from his conduct in the provinces. At least when serving as an official in Chuanshu, Zhao Pu had accepted gifts—not to the point of corruption or bribery, but he had not pretended to be above worldly concerns either. In ordinary social exchanges, he had followed the crowd.

Of course, Zhao Pu was not a morally pure minister either. He had his flaws and his stains. The great mining disaster case that had shocked the southwest back then was a mistake in Zhao Pu's personnel selection—a mere mine supervisor had dared to deceive superiors and hoodwink subordinates, fooling the court.

But after returning to court and being appointed chancellor, Zhao Pu had clearly changed. His style of governance and handling affairs remained forceful and capable, but in terms of personal virtue, he had become more scrupulous and self-disciplined.

Especially in the areas most susceptible to attack and criticism, he was particularly cautious and meticulous, strictly restraining his relatives and friends, and exercising great discretion in his dealings with fellow disciples, former subordinates, and underlings.

This, Emperor Liu could understand. Zhao Pu harbored lofty ambitions and wanted to accomplish things. If he wished to leave his personal achievements in the Kaibao era, he needed to strenuously avoid needless attacks and criticism.

Especially after he gradually revealed his governing policies and direction, under tremendous pressure, he needed even more to stand upright and correct; otherwise, he would inevitably fall into endless trouble.

This time, the tribute gifts presented by the Goryeo envoys could be called substantial, but to Zhao Pu, they truly amounted to nothing much. In fact, Zhao Pu might even have felt a trace of annoyance—wasn't this just adding trouble to his plate?

And sure enough, it had already reached the emperor's ears.

"They say money gets things done. The Goryeo envoys offered such lavish gifts—if Zhao Pu wanted to refuse, he could have simply returned them. What was the thinking behind turning them over to the state treasury?" Emperor Liu muttered. "Isn't that just accepting gifts on behalf of the court?"

His eyes shifting slightly, Emperor Liu looked at Zhang Dejun, who stood in a humble posture: "Has that Seo Hui been quite active in the capital lately?"

Zhang Dejun responded: "To answer Your Majesty, the Goryeo envoys have been in the capital for half a month now. With humble words and generous gifts, they have yet to find a way in. I believe that Your Majesty's refusal to grant an audience has made Seo Hui fear the profound depth of imperial majesty, leaving him inwardly unsettled. Hence he has been running about ceaselessly, seeking help at Chancellor Zhao's residence!"

"A paltry little state—without a lesson, it will never recognize the might of heaven!" Emperor Liu said flatly, his tone still forceful and full of contempt.

It had to be said that in past years, some of Goryeo's actions and conduct had truly angered Emperor Liu, leaving him with a lasting grudge that he had yet to let go of to this day.

Since the beginning of spring, the kingdom of Goryeo had dispatched envoys, crossing the sea, traveling a thousand li, until they reached Luoyang. The one who came was an old acquaintance—Seo Hui, who had previously paid homage at the provisional palace in Youzhou. His purpose, naturally, was to sue for peace.

Last year's Han–Goryeo War was merely a minor episode in the context of the Han–Liao War. Although the sovereign and ministers, generals and commanders of the Great Han had been passively distracted to some degree, in actuality it was of no great consequence.

Under the Han army's proactive strikes, without committing too many troops or paying too great a price, they had achieved two complete victories. Thereafter, the East Sea Navy had spent a full month doing as it pleased along Goryeo's borders.

And Goryeo had not only lost tens of thousands of troops—its navy had been nearly wiped out entirely, with the elite of the realm diminished by more than half. More importantly, in the subsequent wanton raids and plundering by the Han army, Goryeo's coastal prefectures, counties, towns, and cities had suffered the ravages of war, with enormous losses to the property of officials and commoners alike.

Moreover, after a winter of rest and reorganization, when the new year began, the Han army still would not let up. Under the command of Guo Tingwei, the rested and replenished Han soldiers once again launched raids and plundering expeditions against Goryeo.

Unlike the many soldiers who had participated in the northern expedition, the naval troops showed almost no signs of war-weariness. On the contrary, their fighting spirit was high and their enthusiasm exceptional—they were going to Goryeo to get rich.

Nothing could harvest wealth faster than robbery and plunder, and the naval base on Jeju Island that the Han army had established had become a massive "fencing" operation...

Under such circumstances, the Han army refused to stop, and Goryeo found it increasingly unbearable. Its southwestern coast was the cream of the nation's territory—how could it endure such destruction for long?

Facing this "maritime menace," Goryeo had not been without countermeasures. For example, it had mobilized troops to ambush and encircle some of the Han soldiers who landed, which had naturally achieved some results and driven back some Han forces.

But that treated the symptoms, not the root cause. With its navy essentially destroyed and no command of the seas, the Han army could appear and disappear at will from the sea, with no way to effectively contain them. This forced the officials and commoners of Goryeo's coastal prefectures and counties to flee inland in large numbers, and also caused refugees to run rampant throughout Goryeo, severely deteriorating public order—even shaking the foundations of its rule.

The kingdom of Goryeo, after the reforms of King Wang So, had seen its royal authority strengthened and its national strength and military preparedness considerably improved, and its rule had stabilized under his strong hand.

Yet in less than half a year, it had reverted to square one. Due to the falling-out with the Great Han, even coming to armed conflict, plus the two battles that had cost a great many troops, royal authority had inevitably been weakened.

Thus, the nobles and meritorious officials who had been suppressed by Wang So over the past decade or more, and the forces whose interests had been severely deprived and diminished under Wang So's reforms, all began to stir restlessly.

Losing a battle, losing some troops, having prefectures and counties raided, officials and commoners suffering some losses—these might not amount to much in the eyes of the Goryeo king. But having his power weakened, his prestige struck down, and his throne shaken—that was something Wang So could not sit still about.

With external troubles unending and internal worries arising, under pressure from both sides, Wang So could no longer bear it and had to seek a way out. And even the most ignorant person knew where the root cause of Goryeo's turmoil lay.

The Great Han!

At Seo Hui's persuasion, Wang So finally decided to dispatch envoys once more to the Great Han, to beg for the Great Han's forgiveness, hoping to restore good relations and expressing their attitude of being a perpetual vassal.

Although personally Wang So felt somewhat depressed, somewhat wronged, and even humiliated, he truly had no other options. Only after suffering a sound beating did he understand that the Central Plains' celestial dynasty, separated by just a strip of sea, was truly not something they could afford to offend.

In the past, Wang So had indeed gotten carried away, vainly attempting to play both sides between Han and Liao, even wanting to participate in the war between the two nations. In the end, it had only resulted in pulling chestnuts from the fire—a nation thrown into chaos.

Seo Hui had brought a great quantity of treasures and beauties across the sea, and Wang So had even contributed a good portion of the rare valuables from his palace treasury. After a journey of a thousand li by cart, boat, and horse, enduring great hardship, they had finally arrived in Luoyang.

Originally, in Seo Hui's expectations, with their sincere intentions, they ought to be able to move the sovereign and ministers of the Great Han. But the reality left them greatly frustrated—after arriving in the capital, they hit walls almost everywhere.

For the first time, the Great Han Empire displayed a kind of pettiness and arrogance. Toward the Goryeo envoys, apart from leaving them at the guesthouse, it offered no further attention whatsoever, almost completely ignoring them.

Seo Hui had repeatedly requested an audience with Emperor Liu to present the state letter, but was refused every time. He could not see the man, and had no opportunity even to deliver the gifts. As time dragged on, Seo Hui could not help but feel defeated, but considering the Han army that might still be ravaging their borders, he had to rally his spirits. After much deliberation, he finally set his sights on Zhao Pu.

And the result? Zhao Pu accepted the gifts, but seemed to have no intention of doing anything about it......