Zhou Xian sat in the seat, drinking tea leisurely. After a while, he looked up at Kim Sang-hyun, who looked ugly and asked, "Kim Jung-ye, have you finished watching?"

Kim Sang-heng put down the letters in his hand, but two letters that looked very ordinary from the surface. It was just because one of them was stamped with the seal of Japan, while the other was signed by the shogun Tokugawa Ie-gun. The two letters were only a few hundred words, but Kim Sang-heng looked at them for a long time. "Zhou Junmen, is the Ming Dynasty really going to abandon North Korea?"

Zhou Xian picked up the two letters, folded them gently, and said in a very plain tone: "The matter has not been decided yet. Tomorrow, Wang Tongzhihui and the right gatekeeper of the Japanese envoy, Guotian Bing, went to the capital to meet the emperor. At that time, whether you are allowed or not, the court will decide, and I will do whatever you want."

After the Bingzi Rebellion, North Korea betrayed the Ming Dynasty and became a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. Later, Zhou Xian led 400 cavalrymen to break into Seoul, held King Lee Nai hostage, and forced him to write a letter of return to the Ming Dynasty. However, because the Ming Dynasty did not have the strength to reinforce North Korea at that time, this matter was not made public, and it was only known to a few ministers in the court.

Li Yu did not dare to offend the Qing Dynasty, but was worried that the Ming Dynasty would disclose the paper letter he wrote. On the surface, he acted according to the Qing Dynasty's will and used the ministers sent to the Qing Dynasty. But secretly, he contacted the Ming Dynasty in private and gave many help to the Ming Navy stationed on Pi Island.

In recent years, Li Yu has not offended both sides, but the things he did secretly are not known to everyone. If this matter is reported to the Ming Dynasty, nine out of ten ministers would agree to Japan's proposal. Jin Shangxian knew this in his heart and hurriedly begged Zhou Xian: "The Zhou army, the Ming Dynasty is the country of North Korea's parents. Although he was forced to return to the Qing Dynasty, all ordinary people and scholars in the country are interested in the Ming Dynasty. Please consider this matter again in view of the North Korean rescue of the Ming Dynasty's Navy stationed on Pi Island in recent years, and the nearly 10,000 Korean soldiers who served the Ming Dynasty."

Zhou Xian said in a deep voice: "If it weren't for this, you thought I would have kept the Guotian soldiers in Dengzhou for ten days. But after all, I am only a minister of the Ming Dynasty, and some things are not something I can decide. What should you do if you ask me to do? If you continue to keep the retention, you should make a decision directly for the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Besides, you said that the Ming Dynasty was a country of parents of Korea, and I feel that you were only half right. During the Wanli period, Japan invaded Korea, and within one month, all three capitals of Korea were lost and eight roads collapsed. Wherever the Japanese army went, they burned and plundered, and did everything they did. Jinzhou alone massacred more than 60,000 Korean people. Emperor Wanli believed that

As the suzerain of the Korean kingdom, the Ming Dynasty should shoulder the corresponding responsibilities, overcome all difficulties, and decisively sent troops. When they entered North Korea twice, tens of thousands of soldiers died in foreign countries, and eventually drove the Japanese army out of North Korea, allowing North Korea to be liberated. And what about North Korea! How did they treat the Ming Dynasty? After the defeat, they returned to the Qing Dynasty, which may be a helpless move. But are the things that provide food for the Manchu captives and send troops to assist the Qing Dynasty in attacking the Ming Dynasty all out of helplessness? In the country of parents, have you ever seen children who helped outsiders bully their parents? And Wanli has only been in the forty years of aiding Korea. Have you ever seen such shameless and forgetful children?"

Kim Sang-hyun looked embarrassed, "These are...all..."

Zhou Xian waved his hand to stop him and continued, "Do you know why Japan sent people to Dengzhou at this time? I can tell you now. Since the Wanli War of Aiding Korea, Japan has gradually locked up the country, and the information is not smooth. Bingzi was in chaos, and North Korea was defeated, and North Korea became a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. However, when trading with Japan, they have been using the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty to prevent the Japanese from knowing that North Korea was defeated in the Bingzi chaos, and have a bad idea. In other words, even if North Korea has betrayed the Ming Dynasty, it still has to rely on the remaining power of the Ming Dynasty to intimidate the Japanese. If Denglai's merchant ship landed in Japan and occasionally talked about this matter with them, this lie would not be known how long it would last."

Kim Sang-hyun was silent and no longer refuted.

Zhou Xian's anger was slightly reduced and he was silent for a while and said, "Kim Zheng An, I have no intention of targeting you, and I am unwilling to argue with you at this time. But now you have to understand one fact, that is, the Japanese have already known the fact of North Korea's defeat and betrayal of the Ming Dynasty. North Korea, which has lost its protection from Daming, is a lamb to be slaughtered in their eyes. Otherwise, Tokugawa Ie-kwang, who has been promoting the lockdown of the country, wouldn't send envoys to Daming and proactively propose to send 30,000 elite troops. There are two things you think you need to think about in advance. One is to rely on North Korea's own troops to stop Japan; the other is to ask the Qing Dynasty for help when he was defeated. Will they fully assist North Korea like the Ming Dynasty?"

Kim Sang-hyun sighed long, then shook his head silently.

After the Bingzi Rebellion, the Qing Dynasty won a great victory, but after they won, they only forced the King of Korea to return to the Qing Dynasty and then captured nearly 500,000 Korean people to Liaodong. This was not because they did not want it, but because their troops were insufficient. If Japan entered North Korea, not to mention that the Qing Dynasty would not have too many troops to reinforce North Korea. Even with enough troops, they would probably not support North Korea. After all, as long as North Korea did not return to the Ming Dynasty and did not attack the Qing Dynasty from both sides with the Ming Dynasty, they would not care about what the North would look like in the end! A broken or even defeated North Korea would even benefit them.

Jin Shangxian's eyes lit up, as if he had remembered something, and suddenly said: "Military, the Japanese are treacherous and fierce. How do you know that they will definitely help the Ming Dynasty as agreed after occupying North Korea! Are you not worried that they will join forces with the Qing Dynasty to deal with the Ming Dynasty? A North Korea who is looking towards the Ming Dynasty and a Japan that doesn't know what to do. I hope the military will consider it carefully."

Zhou Xian smiled bitterly and said, "Kim Jung-chan, from my perspective, I certainly tend to support North Korea. Otherwise, I would not recommend Lin Qingye as the general of Dongjiang and recruit a large number of North Koreans into the army. But I have just told you that this is not something I can do. I can continue to strand the Japanese envoys for some time, but this is not a solution after all, unless..."

Jin Shangxian heard the softening in Zhou Xian's tone and asked anxiously: "Military, unless what?"
Chapter completed!