Chapter 1073: Ambition (Bonus Chapter)

The Japanese army's fantasy of ceding territory south of Hanseong is out of the question; even holding onto Busan is impossible.

Ridiculous—they've been defeated, yet still expect the victor to pay reparations and cede land?

Not only will Chosun never agree, even Li Song and Pan Yun have no face to accept it.

The Japanese nation launched an unprovoked attack on Chosun; the Great Ming has decided to severely punish the Japanese to serve as a warning.

All Japanese soldiers must withdraw completely from Chosun and never invade again; furthermore, to compensate Chosun's civilians, the Japanese must pay reparations…

Altogether, the Japanese must pay Chosun a great deal.

After the treaty was formally signed, Hosokawa Motoki led his army onto ship after ship and departed.

He stood on the ship's deck, gazing at the receding coastline, his eyes filled with malice.

The shogunate's envoy beside him, however, was delighted: "Finally, we can return home."

The two of them chatted happily: "The Great Ming only made us pay reparations to Chosun, not to themselves? When they mentioned reparations, I thought they'd demand compensation for their soldiers' casualties and war equipment losses too…"

"The Great Ming is the suzerain state—it's naturally magnanimous. This time, it merely upholds justice for Chosun; of course it won't demand payment from us."

"What if we attacked the Great Ming and lost?"

"Wouldn't we still avoid reparations? But they might cross the sea and seize our islands—even if they don't occupy land, they'll surely raise our tribute quotas. Stop thinking about such things—offending the suzerain state is a grave crime!"

"Yes, yes, don't think about it. Last time the shogunate sent troops, we were utterly defeated; luckily, we blamed it all on those ronin pirates…"

"Aaaah—" Hosokawa Motoki finally couldn't hold back, roaring in fury and drawing his sword to slash backward!

The noisy chatter on the ship vanished instantly.

Hosokawa Motoki raised his head, bloodshot eyes sweeping the surroundings, his face grim: "If I hear another word about reparations, you'll be executed!"

The moment he spoke, the man before him, eyes wide, split cleanly in two, blood spraying out as he crashed to the deck with a thud.

Hosokawa Motoki paid no heed, sheathed his blade, and turned away.

Li Song and Pan Yun watched from the shore; though the ship had sailed far, both were expert archers with keen eyesight and slight long-distance vision.

Li Song curled his lip and declared: "This man is cruel and narrow-minded. This grudge is sealed—he will harbor hatred toward the Great Ming. He must be eliminated."

Pan Yun: "His older brother, Hosokawa Motoki, is one of the shogunate's Kanrei."

Li Song: "So what? A wolf's ambition—especially a wolf's ambition directed at the Great Ming—must be eliminated."

Pan Yun: "What I mean is, we can use internal shogunate strife to remove him. Didn't those two envoys repeatedly hint that the shogun Ashikaga is now grown and wishes to rule personally?"

Li Song silently cursed—how vile, no wonder he came from a scholarly family.

Thinking of Pan Yun's connection to the State Preceptor, Li Song cursed even more bitterly—this was an insult to the State Preceptor's sanctity.

True, though Li Song had never met the State Preceptor, he still revered him.