Chapter 1557: Diplomacy and Domestic Affairs

"Afraid of making too much noise? I'm afraid we won't make enough!" The Chancellor waved a hand dismissively. "They've been at this work for centuries. Now we're racing to catch up — how can we do that without making a great deal of noise? The journey to the Western Ocean is long and far, and the personnel for the mission cannot be chosen carelessly. Put some real thought into it these days."

Seeing that the Chancellor had already spoken in such a tone that brooked no argument, Kong Zhang, whatever objections he might have harbored in his heart, could only swallow them.

"Yes, Chancellor. I will go and make the arrangements at once."

"Good. Let us stop here for today. We will first draft a memorandum on the Spanish matter we just discussed, to present for His Majesty's reference. I will also write a separate memorandum to His Majesty regarding the mission. All of you, go and attend to these matters with all speed." The Chancellor then waved his hand once more, and the several clerks who had been waiting silently inside the Hall of Martial Valor came forward one after another, bringing out the meeting minutes they had just recorded for the ministers to consult.

"Oh, by the way — that Japanese envoy is still with your Ministry of Commerce, is he not?" As if suddenly recalling something, the Chancellor asked the Commerce Minister again.

"Correct. The shogunate's envoy is currently being detained in the capital by our subordinates." At the mention of this, Commerce Minister Zhou Xuezhi's mood instantly brightened considerably, and his face broke into a broad smile. "Following my instructions, they are now negotiating with that envoy at a deliberately unhurried pace, intimidating him from time to time — they've put him through absolute misery… In any case, the people below simply refuse to reach any conclusion with him, keeping him dangling the whole time, so he can't leave the capital either."

"Spring has already arrived. If we still show no urgency, it will seem unnatural, and the envoy will inevitably grow suspicious." The Chancellor pondered for a moment. "It's about time for you to meet with him in person. Be stern in your words — make him understand that we are extremely angered by the shogunate's conduct. Then give them a deadline condition, demanding they hurry and ship the copper over before then. That would be more in keeping with the style of our Great Han, and the envoy may not become suspicious."

"Very well. I shall prepare to summon him as soon as I return." The Commerce Minister agreed without hesitation. Having just swallowed his frustration in front of the Chancellor, he was genuinely eager to vent his spleen before the foreign envoy.

"You must all do your work well and apply yourselves to everything with diligence. Otherwise, when Chen Sheng arrives and sees us all dragging our feet and looking exhausted, won't he fly into a thunderous rage every single day?" In a fine mood, the Chancellor cracked a joke. "I wonder what he'll be thinking when he hears that the court intends to strike at the Spanish?"

Far away, a thousand li distant, Chen Sheng of course had no idea that he had become the butt of jokes between the Chancellor and his old comrades. Today, amid his hundred pressing affairs, he had managed to find a spare moment and was preparing to seek an audience with the Crown Prince.

Ever since learning from the Crown Prince that His Majesty intended to recall him to the capital to serve as Minister of the Army, he had, in keeping with his consistently earnest and responsible attitude, already begun preparing for the handover. Although he did not yet know whether his successor as Commander-in-Chief of the Liaodong Army would be chosen from within the Liaodong Army's own ranks or transferred from outside, it was never wrong to begin preparations for the transition early.

Over the past few days, he had written a great many documents and letters — some to serve as reference for his successor, and some addressed to his subordinates, admonishing them that after his departure they must absolutely obey the law and never again overstep the line by even half a step. However, because he was currently far away in Jinzhou City and many matters were inconvenient to handle, he had ordered his trusted Staff Officer, Ning Zeguang, to rush back to the Liaodong Army's general headquarters in Shenyang City to temporarily oversee the handover, and first of all to take a clear inventory of the Liaodong Army's accounts for funds, grain, arms, and munitions stockpiles.

After several days of intense work, despite his extraordinary stamina, he still felt somewhat weary. At last, he had managed to steal a moment's respite to have an audience with the Crown Prince.

Unlike Chen Sheng, who resided in the military barracks, the Crown Prince was staying in the finest post-house within Jinzhou City. Ever since the Crown Prince had taken up residence there, a crowd of commoners, drawn by his renown, had constantly gathered outside to watch. Every time the Crown Prince emerged from the post-house to go on an inspection tour, thunderous cheers would erupt from this crowd. Although the guards, worried for the Crown Prince's safety, wished to disperse them, the Crown Prince had forbidden it.

When the crowd saw the famously mighty Duke of Ji, Marshal Chen, arrive for a visit, they burst into cheers. Chen Sheng paid them no mind and went straight inside the post-house with the guards.

Because of the Crown Prince's residence, the usually bustling post-house now stood empty and quiet, taking on an added air of secluded tranquility.

The Crown Prince, who had been reading all along, of course did not keep the Duke of Ji waiting when he heard of his personal visit, and granted him an audience at once.

"Your servant pays his respects to Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Upon arriving at the Crown Prince's quarters, Chen Sheng first bowed with meticulous formality.

"The Duke of Ji need not stand on ceremony." The Crown Prince hastily bade him dispense with the formalities, then looked at him with some curiosity. "May I ask what matter brings the Duke of Ji here on this sudden visit?"

"Your servant has come on account of the Goryeo matter." Chen Sheng's reply was exceedingly direct.

"The Goryeo matter?" At these words, the Crown Prince could not help but turn solemn. "I pray the Duke of Ji will explain in detail."

When he had left the capital, his Imperial Father had already informed him of the dispute between the Great Han mission to Goryeo and the Goryeo royal house, and had also granted him full authority to handle the Goryeo matter. He had therefore been racking his brains over how to deal with it all this time, and naturally took it very seriously.

"Your servant should have reported this matter to Your Royal Highness earlier. However, at the time, firstly, I had not yet grasped the full situation; secondly, I was not yet aware that Your Royal Highness had been given full authority over this matter. For not reporting immediately, I beg Your Royal Highness's forgiveness." Chen Sheng, however, first offered an apology.

"What crime has the Duke committed?" The Crown Prince shook his head. "I… I am but a callow youth. In such a weighty matter of state and military affairs, one ought naturally to act with prudence."

"Your Royal Highness need not be so self-deprecating. With His Majesty's keen eye for talent, since he has entrusted you with full authority, it can hardly be mistaken." Chen Sheng smiled, a rare occurrence. "Your Royal Highness, today your servant has just received word that Shi Gaoyi, the head of the mission to Goryeo, will soon arrive in Jinzhou and will shortly request an audience with Your Royal Highness."

Shi Gaoyi was the head of the mission, and ordinarily could not lightly leave his host country. That he had chosen to set out this time seemed to indicate he had obtained permission from the domestic Foreign Affairs Department. He also knew how to conduct himself properly, having sent a fast ship ahead to notify Liaodong before his departure — which was why Chen Sheng had received the news first.

"What? This… this…" The Crown Prince was momentarily taken aback. "He's coming to Liaodong to see me?"

To the Crown Prince, Shi Gaoyi was, in a sense, one of the principal parties in this affair. He had still been pondering how to handle him, never expecting the man to take the initiative and travel to Liaodong to seek an audience. It truly caught him off guard.

"Your Royal Highness is to inspect Liaodong and Goryeo. Given Your Royal Highness's status, it is only reasonable for the mission head to come in person and make advance arrangements." Chen Sheng smiled faintly. "It's just that this Head Shi is famously a man of exceeding cunning and a heart of seven apertures. I fear he has not come merely to welcome Your Royal Highness…"

"Does the Duke also feel there is something fishy about this?" The Crown Prince grew even more nervous. "This mission head rushing over here — I fear it is also because his conscience is somewhat troubled… From the look of it, the Goryeo king's accusations against him are not entirely fabricated after all?"

"To say they are entirely fabricated is, of course, rather unlikely… How would the Goryeo king have the gall to frame a high official of the imperial court?" Chen Sheng's smile deepened. "However, as the saying goes, 'water too clear holds no fish.' Head Shi has spent many years in Goryeo maneuvering with great skill, and has greatly safeguarded our dynasty's interests there. For that alone, he deserves some merit. He cannot be regarded entirely as a criminal."

"…Is the Duke saying that Head Shi is a meritorious official, and that he should not be punished solely on the basis of the Goryeo king's accusations?" the Crown Prince asked at once.

"To punish or not to punish — that is a decision Your Royal Highness alone can make. Your servant cannot decide on Your Royal Highness's behalf." Chen Sheng shook his head slightly. "Your Royal Highness should not make a decision based on a few words from your servant. It would be better to observe further, and handle it according to your own conscience. In any case, His Majesty has already granted Your Royal Highness full authority."

Seeing that the Duke of Ji had no intention whatsoever of interfering with his decision, the Crown Prince could not help but feel a surge of frustration. The head of the mission to Goryeo was, after all, a senior official of the court. Now, the future fortunes — for good or ill — of such a high-ranking official, and even of the Goryeo king himself, were all placed in his hands. He had never before made a decision of such magnitude, and so he could not help feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Duke of Ji, the Goryeo king says that in Goryeo, there are Han people who, relying on their connections with the mission, amass fortunes with reckless greed, are rapacious and tyrannical, and bully the Goryeo people at will, causing refugees to appear in many parts of Goryeo, making life unbearable. And he says the mission knowingly failed to report this and deliberately shielded them… Are these things true?" After thinking for a moment, the Crown Prince asked again.

"To say it is all false — that would also be incorrect." After a moment's hesitation, Chen Sheng, usually so blunt-spoken, gave a rather roundabout and veiled reply.

"In other words, such things do indeed exist, and similar incidents are not few?" The Crown Prince grasped his implied meaning.

Then, a trace of anger flickered across his face. "If such things truly exist, then I cannot ignore them. How can the reputation of the imperial court be ruined by a handful of black sheep? Goryeo has always been quite deferential to our nation. If they are disheartened because of a small clique of lawless mission officials, that would be truly terrible."

"Your Royal Highness, this matter is not quite so simple. Please quell your anger." Seeing the Crown Prince suddenly grow angry, Chen Sheng hastened to remonstrate with him. "The mission also has its various unavoidable difficulties. They cannot be blamed entirely."

The reason Chen Sheng spoke up for the mission, with which he actually had little connection, was mainly that among the so-called "lawless acts of oppressing the Goryeo people," quite a few had been committed by the Liaodong Army. In order to expand their financial resources to supplement military supplies, the Liaodong Army had long been involved in the border trade between China and Goryeo, reaping enormous profits. Moreover, in the region of northern Goryeo bordering the Great Han, there were now large numbers of ginseng farms and agricultural estates controlled by Han people. Their backers were, in truth, also the Liaodong Army. It was precisely because they had the Liaodong Army behind them that these merchants dared to bully the Goryeo people so brazenly, stirring up such great public resentment in Goryeo.

Chen Sheng had been aware of these matters all along and had tacitly permitted them. Now that Liaodong was gradually pacified, and the Liaodong Army's finances and supplies were no longer so strained, Chen Sheng was also planning to have the Liaodong Army withdraw from these lines of business and let genuine merchants take over.

"So that is the reason behind it?" After listening to Chen Sheng's explanation, the Crown Prince was momentarily at a loss.

He began to feel that this matter was somewhat thorny and not as easy to handle as it appeared on the surface. Without question, as Crown Prince, he ought to handle it impartially, so as not to dishearten the tributary state and the people of the realm. Yet the Liaodong Army was the mainstay corps of the Great Han military, with merits of the highest order, and the things they had done in the past had their reasons. He truly did not wish to strike at the morale of the Liaodong Army's officers and soldiers on account of Goryeo.

"Duke of Ji, is there any method that can satisfy both sides?" After thinking for a while, he could not help asking Chen Sheng.

"This matter involves the Liaodong Army. Your servant dares not speak recklessly." Chen Sheng still did not relent, unwilling to use his own position to influence the Crown Prince. "Your servant has only one piece of advice for Your Royal Highness — in this world, most matters are not simply black or white, and most people cannot be distinguished by the words 'good' or 'bad' alone, Your Royal Highness. Governing a state is about weighing pros and cons and seeking compromise in action, not about necessarily determining a clear right or wrong, good or bad."

"Weighing and compromising…" The Crown Prince silently repeated two of those words to himself several times, savoring their meaning. "Is the Duke of Ji saying that we must make some gesture to placate the Goryeo people, yet also not harm our own interests too greatly — that we should handle it by striking a balance?"

Chen Sheng merely smiled faintly and did not answer further.

"…" The Crown Prince lowered his head and fell into silent thought again for a long time.

"No matter what, the men of the Liaodong Army must withdraw from these businesses, and henceforth are forbidden to participate in them again." After a long while, as if having made some resolution, the Crown Prince finally raised his head and looked at Chen Sheng. "That military personnel shall not engage in commerce is a state policy personally decreed by Imperial Father, and it must be upheld to the end. Even if there were extenuating circumstances before, it is time to stop now, is it not? The salaries and provisions our dynasty gives to officers and soldiers are rarely matched in any age — even the greatest appetite should be sated by now! I must ask the Duke to issue strict orders, and henceforth severely prohibit such conduct! Otherwise, I cannot sit idly by and ignore it!"

The Crown Prince's tone was rarely this severe, and it made Chen Sheng pause for a moment, though he quickly recovered.

"What the Crown Prince has said is precisely what your servant has been thinking. Now that Liaodong is secure and pacified, and neither the Jurchens nor the Mongols can cause trouble any longer, many of the previous practices are no longer necessary. Your servant has already issued orders forbidding any officers or soldiers of the Liaodong Army from being involved in such matters henceforth. Moreover, after Liaodong is established as a province, the Liaodong Army will also be subject to greater restraints and will no longer be as it was before."

"That is good, then…" The Crown Prince finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, after the Liaodong Army withdraws, what does Your Royal Highness intend to do with those trading posts, farm estates, and ginseng farms belonging to the Great Han? Those are all the property of Great Han merchants. Shall they all be returned to Goryeo?" Chen Sheng suddenly asked.

The question was rather pointed, yet the Crown Prince had indeed already considered it. "These properties are the property of Great Han subjects and cannot be returned. However, in the future, these merchants may only operate lawfully and must no longer engage in those acts of preying upon the local people and damaging relations between the two nations…"

Although on the surface the Crown Prince was restraining these merchants, he had tacitly acknowledged the profits they had seized in Goryeo, merely demanding that, for the sake of the Great Han's relations with Goryeo and its control over it, they exercise some restraint in the future.

"The method the Crown Prince proposes is of course good. However… knowing the disposition of the Goryeo people, they will surely press forward once given an inch. If we withdraw even the Liaodong Army, and these merchants have no backing behind them, then Goryeo officials will certainly extort and threaten the Great Han merchants," Chen Sheng said, still without any change in expression. "Rather than face trouble later, it might be better to simply recall all these merchants first."

"That must absolutely not be done!" The Crown Prince, unaware that Chen Sheng was deliberately testing him, immediately voiced his opposition. "These enterprises were built up bit by bit by Great Han merchants — how can they be handed over to others? It is true that I wish to maintain friendly relations between the two nations, but not by sacrificing the interests of Great Han merchants and making humiliating concessions. In my view, these merchants need not withdraw; they may continue to operate in Goryeo. I will make the Goryeo people guarantee that their enterprises are not molested."

After a pause, perhaps feeling that he had spoken too overbearingly and bluntly, he unconsciously began to justify his reasoning. "The Goryeo court and officialdom are utterly corrupt from top to bottom. Even if these enterprises were returned to the Goryeo people, they would surely be embezzled by officials high and low. Besides, they are not skilled at managing them, and in the end, all these enterprises would be run into ruin. Rather than that, it is better to let Great Han merchants continue to operate them. This is good for the Great Han, and also a good thing for Goryeo."

Hearing his justification, Chen Sheng also broke into a smile.

"Your Highness, since you already know that Goryeo is rife with lawlessness from top to bottom, how can you trust that their officials — once the Liaodong Army withdraws from commerce — will be restrained by scruples and refrain from bullying the merchants of the Great Han?"

"This... Our dynasty is Goryeo's suzerain; Goryeo ought to treat our dynasty with deference and obedience from the start. I would never permit them to bully our merchants. If Goryeo officials truly dare to do such a thing, then they will have no more excuses to hide behind, and the Great Han can punish them one by one and make them pay compensation. In any case, so long as the Great Han takes just a few measures, it can safeguard the property of Great Han merchants — there is no need for the Liaodong Army to be entangled in this and needlessly corrupt military discipline." After a brief hesitation, he lowered his voice slightly. "Furthermore, the Liaodong Army discharges large numbers of soldiers every year. These veterans can be settled within the enterprises of Great Han merchants. With the merchants providing mutual guarantees, they would have no reason to fear bullying by Goryeo's local officials."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a little uneasy and looked at Chen Sheng nervously, just like a student waiting for his teacher to grade his answers.

Chen Sheng, however, did not speak at first. He merely studied the Crown Prince steadily, as if stirred by some deep reflection.

Just as the Crown Prince was about to ask again, Chen Sheng suddenly let out a long sigh.

"The Crown Prince is right. This is exactly how it should be done. If it were your servant, your servant would have made the same plan."

As the realm grew more peaceful by the day, the Great Han's military needs steadily diminished, and so every year large numbers of soldiers were discharged — the Liaodong Army was naturally no exception. When these soldiers left the army, aside from receiving a lump-sum discharge payment, they all needed to be resettled somewhere.

Most officers were granted farmland according to their rank and military merits. After returning to their hometowns, these retired officers — having had the habit of obedience drilled into them through years of military service and possessing military skills — became the backbone of the Great Han's local governance. But the realm's farmland was finite after all, especially in the interior provinces that had not suffered the ravages of war during the dynastic transition. The court could only confiscate land from the private holdings of the former Ming imperial clan and a portion of the puppet officials; after so many years of distributing land, very little surplus remained.

To solve this problem and allow as many retired officers and soldiers as possible to enjoy their later years, the court debated the matter at length and finally produced two solutions.

The first was to encourage the various regional armies to open up wasteland for cultivation in the frontier provinces, and then grant this land to discharged soldiers — in effect, having them migrate and consolidate the borders.

But this approach met with considerable skepticism from the start, because most of the frontiers had only recently been pacified, and there was too little land suitable for stable farming to distribute to many people. Moreover, conditions on the frontiers were mostly extremely harsh; even reclaimed land was very difficult to cultivate, and few soldiers were willing to stay and farm there just for the sake of receiving a land grant.

If they were forcibly bound to the land, there was a profound lesson from the former Ming. To save the state money, the former Ming had decreed that soldiers of the various guard posts, as military households, must serve as soldiers for generations and farm the guard-post lands. But the guard-post lands gradually fell into the hands of chiliarchs and other commanding officers, and in the end these military households were bound to the land for generations, unable to change their own or their descendants' status — no different from slaves.

The sovereign and ministers of the Great Han had all lived through the Ming era, and they had witnessed the misery of the former Ming's military households all too often. They were deeply unwilling to let history repeat itself.

And so, after lengthy discussion, another solution was proposed: to grant large tracts of frontier land in the form of estates to meritorious retired officers, and use these men to consolidate the frontier situation. These frontier landlords could organize local militias to assist the Great Han army in maintaining local order. Discharged soldiers, meanwhile, could choose freely — if they wished, they could stay on the frontier; if not, the Great Han authorities would help them find another path.

Unlike the former Ming, the Great Han's government itself was a vast economic system. Under the name of the government represented by the Grand Secretariat were all the trading posts, seagoing vessels, and goods and properties of the former Yunshan Firm, as well as a great number of factories, mines, and agricultural estates. These enterprises themselves had enormous labor demands and could absorb a vast number of employed persons, and so they became the largest destination for discharged soldiers. Since most of these soldiers had built up strong physiques during their military service, and some had even learned practical skills such as horse-rearing or mechanics, and since they were also accustomed to being dutiful and obedient, they became workers whom employers everywhere were happy to hire. Both sides were thoroughly satisfied.

In this way, across the various regions of Liaodong, the newly conquered lands were already covered with vast estates, stretching all the way into Goryeo territory. And the owners of these estates, for the most part, also sent their grown sons into the army to serve as soldiers. Unlike the Ming military households, these people did so of their own volition — out of gratitude toward the army and, incidentally, to continue seeking protection for their families.

And so, when Chen Sheng spoke of the Liaodong Army "withdrawing," how could it possibly be so easy to withdraw? The Crown Prince was merely seeking another name for it. What the regular army was not permitted to do, veterans could do with perfect legitimacy.

Two chapters combined, six thousand characters.

May First, Second, and Third — three days off. Wishing everyone a happy holiday.