Chapter 1523: A Han Official Who Does Whatever He Pleases

Shi Gaoyi was a tall, slender, middle-aged man with fair skin, looking every bit the scholar. He was a native of Northern Zhili, and had indeed been a scholar before, even passing the provincial examination late in the Wanli era. But despite his vast learning, he was not a rigid thinker.

During the Tianqi era, seeing the Xuzhou faction rising daily and growing too powerful to restrain, he gritted his teeth and threw in his lot with Xuzhou. Because he was literate, he became a clerk there, but his ambitions naturally did not stop at that. While working diligently, he constantly sought opportunities to curry favor, single-mindedly intent on climbing higher.

Years ago, he finally found his chance. The Great Han had just been established, and its institutions and offices were still in disarray. He followed the army to the capital, kept maneuvering tirelessly, and ultimately entered the Foreign Affairs Department.

Because he was diligent and adept at ingratiating himself with superiors, he greatly earned the appreciation of Director Kong Zhang. Kong Zhang promoted him several times, making him a trusted aide.

Yet his ambitions, of course, went far beyond that. After lying low for two years, another opportunity came. By then, the new dynasty had largely quelled the chaos in Liaodong. Most of the Jianzhou Jurchens had been wiped out, and the small remnants could only hide in the mountains, barely clinging to life. The new dynasty thus turned its ambitious gaze toward Goryeo.

After several rounds of deliberation, the court's upper echelons decided to intervene in Goryeo on the grounds that Goryeo ministers had arbitrarily staged a coup and deposed their monarch. To erode Goryeo's will to resist as much as possible, the court also needed to whitewash its intentions by installing the deposed king, Yi Hon — who had been exiled and blinded — as a puppet.

The crux of this plan naturally fell on how to contact Yi Hon and other Goryeo people, and this became the Foreign Affairs Department's task. Upon learning this secret from his superior Kong Zhang, Shi Gaoyi steeled his heart and volunteered outright, wanting to take part in the operation. After fervent pleading, he ultimately obtained permission from both Kong Zhang and the Chancellor.

During his years in the Foreign Affairs Department, he had already picked up some Goryeo language out of work necessity. After receiving this assignment, he mustered every ounce of energy to study with tutors, and in just two or three months he had mastered the language. Then he took a few attendants and entered Goryeo territory.

Once inside Goryeo, he followed the original plan, secretly contacting those out-of-power Northern Faction ministers and promising them rich rewards. These ministers, stripped of their wealth and status, were overjoyed to hear that the Central Dynasty wished to restore Yi Hon. The two sides hit it off immediately, and with their help, he soon established contact with Yi Hon on Ganghwa Island.

Next, he covertly surveyed the surroundings of Ganghwa Island, then, through a surprise naval raid, snatched Yi Hon from his guards. The Great Han then advanced by land and sea, applying absolute military pressure to force Goryeo to reinstate Yi Hon.

Such a grand maneuver was not something an ordinary person could pull off, and the gamble he took with his own life, once won, brought him ample reward. After Yi Hon's restoration, the new dynasty established a legation in Goryeo, and he became the undisputed choice for legation chief, with the concurrent title of Deputy Director in the Foreign Affairs Department. He had both rank and position. In Goryeo, wielding the Central Dynasty's might, he could do whatever he pleased — a life worlds apart from swallowing his pride in the capital. Moreover, the Emperor had granted him the noble title of Baron, formally making him a member of the Great Han's titled aristocracy.

Now, years later, whenever he recalled those resolute actions he had taken, he still secretly swelled with pride. From a mere scholar, he had ultimately won wealth, rank, and a noble title. A great man's long-cherished wish fulfilled — what joy could surpass this!

Yet even having reached this point, the ambition in Shi Gaoyi's heart was still not entirely satisfied. He wanted to go even further.

Though posted to Hanseong, he was willing to spend money, so his information remained fairly current, and he often received firsthand political news from the capital. From this news, he had heard that the Chancellor might elevate the Foreign Affairs Department into a full Ministry, placing it on the same level as the most critical government offices. His old superior, Department Director Kong Zhang, would naturally become the undisputed Foreign Affairs Minister. He had no hope for the Minister's post, but the position of Vice Minister was another matter entirely.

The Foreign Affairs Department currently had several officials bearing the title of Deputy Director, but there would clearly be only one Vice Minister when the time came, and Shi Gaoyi wanted to be that one. As long as he could become Vice Minister, he would formally rank among the highest echelons of the Great Han bureaucracy, no longer a mere functionary living at others' beck and call.

Shi Gaoyi was indeed an ambitious man, but it is only under ambition's spur that a person can accomplish great undertakings beyond the reach of ordinary men.

He knew his rapid rise came from earning recognition through merit, so to keep rising, he had to keep earning merit and greater recognition from above.

And how was he to earn recognition in Goryeo?

In his view, what the Emperor, the Chancellor, and the Director wanted most was to strengthen the dynasty's control over Goryeo. Thus, he devoted himself single-mindedly and tirelessly to doing just that, constantly interfering in Goryeo's internal affairs under various pretexts, utterly unafraid of being seen as arrogant, domineering, and beneath the Central Dynasty's dignity. He was not at all afraid of the Goryeo people hating him — they could not decide his promotion anyway.

Through his efforts over these years, the Great Han's influence in Goryeo had penetrated ever deeper, and its economic interests had grown ever larger. He was therefore confident that the court must be quite satisfied with his work performance, and he had great hope of achieving his wish.

However, despite racking his brains, he was, after all, thousands of li away and could not, like his several competitors, frequently meet Director Kong and the higher-ups. So the news that the Crown Prince would personally visit Goryeo delighted him beyond measure.

Though the Crown Prince was young, the Emperor sending him out meant he was to begin participating in state affairs. The word from the capital confirmed this. That being the case, currying favor with the Crown Prince was of immense significance. After the Foreign Affairs Department became the Foreign Affairs Ministry, if he could get the Crown Prince to put in a few good words for him, his promotion would be a certainty.

The Crown Prince was coming in person to oversee the campaign against Japan, so what they should do now, above all, was to work with the Goryeo court to ensure the Crown Prince could smoothly fulfill his mission.

"My lord, please rest assured." As soon as he finished speaking, legation deputy Zhang Daoyan immediately chimed in. "Everyone here is filled with sincere patriotic devotion. Upon hearing the Crown Prince is coming, each of us is stirred and eager, rubbing our hands in anticipation of satisfying His Highness."

Shi Gaoyi nodded slightly, then shifted his gaze to the garrison commander, Battalion Commander Meng Zhigao.

This Meng Zhigao was a rough-hewn, dark-complexioned military man of stocky build. A native of Xuhuai, he had joined the Zhao Battalion early in the Great Han's rise. His bravery in battle had won him swift promotions, and he had climbed step by step from a common soldier to the rank of Battalion Commander.

He had previously fought against the Manchus in Liaodong. After the Great Han pacified Manchuria, he took part in the invasion of Goryeo and the operation to restore Yi Hon. Following Yi Hon's restoration, the Great Han, on the pretext of "protecting the monarch's personal safety," left two battalions garrisoned in the Goryeo capital of Hanseong, and he remained as the commander of one of them. These two battalions were ordinarily stationed within the legation quarter, so he and the other battalion commander regularly attended legation meetings. Of the two, he had the most seniority and battle honors, so the other commander, Wang Yun, readily deferred to him, making him the foremost figure among the garrison troops.

The Goryeo garrison held an important position, and being appointed Battalion Commander showed he had his superiors' deep trust. Rumor had it that once he finished this external posting and was transferred back home, he would be promoted within the military and might even be granted a noble title.

Due to the Great Han's system of separating civil and military authority, the ambassador was, strictly speaking, not his superior, and his status in Goryeo was transcendent. However, Goryeo was thousands of li away with poor communications, and Meng Zhigao was not an expert in Goryeo foreign affairs. Therefore, to handle emergencies, the home government had left special instructions requiring him and the garrison to generally follow the ambassador's direction.

Of course, the ambassador outwardly showed great respect for this garrison commander — after all, the Great Han military's power was immense and not to be slighted — so over the years their relationship had been quite harmonious.

"My lord, we in the garrison are naturally of one heart with the legation and will never create trouble or cause everyone problems," Meng Zhigao immediately declared as well. "All these years, we've shared hardships together in Goryeo and only with great difficulty built the situation we have today. The Crown Prince's arrival is a tremendous blessing. If anyone dares make things difficult for us, I, Meng Zhigao, will be the first to refuse!"

He was a military man, after all, and spoke bluntly, but it happened to strike exactly what the ambassador wanted to hear, so Shi Gaoyi did not take offense. "Battalion Commander Meng speaks the plain truth. Everything we've done here, which of it wasn't built from scratch? By Heaven's grace, we've finally achieved some modest results. They were hard-won and should not be lightly lost. As for our own people, I am quite at ease — we are all united in sincerity. But beyond our own people, that is harder to say..."

"My lord, are you speaking of the Goryeo court?" Zhang Daoyan, having worked with him for years, immediately caught his drift. "Could it be you worry that someone in Goryeo is plotting mischief?"

"Indeed, this is something one cannot help but worry about." Shi Gaoyi sighed. "We are, of course, utterly loyal to the nation, but since ancient times, slander has always been something to fear. If the Goryeo king and his ministers seize the opportunity of the Crown Prince's visit to whisper slander into his ears, then... the consequences would be unthinkable. Consider this: the Crown Prince is coming to Goryeo to oversee the rear, so he will inevitably have dealings with Goryeo ministers. If those dealings become frequent, he might well lend an ear to slander..."