Section Ten

An Zhixing was not unfamiliar with Beijing; including this visit, it was already his sixth time coming to the city. In his official career, diplomatic missions to China were among the most significant duties. As an important official in the Li Dynasty’s Ministry of Rites, he was essentially a “professional envoy”—a role born out of the helplessness of a small and weak nation. According to the traditional relationship between the two countries, in normal times, he was required to visit Beijing three times a year: once for the Lunar New Year, once to congratulate the Chinese emperor on his birthday, and once more to celebrate the crown prince’s birthday.

This visit, however, was somewhat different from previous ones. In truth, the Joseon court and officials were far from ignorant of the dramatic political upheaval in China. Frankly speaking, when Commander Lin Feng’s Han army defeated the Jurchen-Manchu forces, the Joseon dynasty, which had long considered itself the “Little Central Plains,” was delighted. Although the Li family had been compelled to acknowledge the Qing court’s suzerainty under military pressure from Huang Taiji, deep down, they still looked down on this “barbarian” regime. The series of reactionary policies imposed by this extreme slave government deeply pained the Confucian scholars of Joseon, who truly empathized with the suffering. So, when An Zhixing’s delegation arrived in Beijing and saw the city filled with refined scholars and gentlemen, he felt a great sense of comfort.

The only regret was that the two nations were still technically at war.

This time, General Ma Ying of the Han army led over ten thousand troops to invade, pillaging several counties in Pyeongan and Gangneung provinces. The casualties among Joseon’s military and civilians were severe. The news shocked both the court and the people. Within the government, ministers were divided into two factions: the Western faction advocated peace, while the Northern faction insisted on immediate military action—to “repel the enemy beyond the borders” before sending envoys to negotiate peace. Initially, the young and impetuous King Lee Chun leaned toward a military solution. However, upon learning that tens of thousands of his border troops had been utterly defeated, he calmed down and accepted the Western faction’s counsel.

As the first foreign envoy to be received, Li Guangdi attached great importance to An Zhixing’s arrival. Although the two countries were at war, this did not prevent the Han government from receiving the Joseon delegation with the highest honors. Of course, appearances had to be maintained. Initially, Lin Feng wanted to cut through the mess swiftly by meeting An Zhixing the same day to discuss the disputes between the two countries. However, Zhang Ying of the Han Ministry of Rites strongly opposed this, citing protocol. As a result, the Joseon envoys anxiously wandered Beijing for half a month before finally being granted an audience with the Han king.

“Envoy of Joseon, An Zhixing, pays respects to His Majesty the Han King—Long live Your Majesty, may you live a thousand years!” An Zhixing, dressed in splendid attire, spoke fluent Chinese and performed the customary kneeling and kowtowing with practiced grace.

By Ming dynasty standards, such words from an emperor usually meant that the rebellious general would be executed or at least exiled. Yet this time, An Zhixing felt a chill in his heart. Judging by the Han King’s thick-skinned demeanor, he truly did not believe the general would face any trouble.

He pondered and could think of no good way to deal with this unpredictable Han King. Helplessly, he said, “His Majesty the Han King presides over justice; the small nation is deeply grateful!”

“You flatter me, Lord An!” Lin Feng smiled. “I just heard you mention that Ming was an ‘unconquered country.’ What exactly does that mean?”

An Zhixing was momentarily stunned. He could never believe Lin Feng truly did not know about this matter, but since the Han King asked, he had no choice but to answer. “Your Majesty, when the founding Emperor of the Ming dynasty ascended the throne in Jiankang, our own founder also established the nation in Kaesong. At that time, the Jurchen were not yet defeated, and the rites had not been restored. Thus, the two countries agreed to an alliance. The founding Emperor of Ming bestowed upon our founder, King Li Chenggui, the title of Lord of Joseon, and the succession thereafter was granted by the Ming Emperor. Year after year, we paid tribute, serving as a buffer state for the Central Plains.”

“I see, I see!” Lin Feng suddenly understood. “So your Joseon should have been a loyal vassal of Ming. How come you later fraternized with the Jurchens?”

An Zhixing’s face flushed with shame. “Your Majesty, that was due to circumstances beyond our will.”

“Forget it, forget it,” Lin Feng waved his hand magnanimously, signaling his forgiveness. “But now that our great Han has destroyed the Jurchens, what does Joseon plan to do?”

An Zhixing had anticipated this question; indeed, this was part of the purpose of his visit. The Han army's invasion, pillaging several counties in Pyeongan and others, though seemingly large-scale, did not involve occupying cities or appointing officials to govern the people—it was merely a show of force meant to coerce Joseon into declaring its political stance.

“Our small nation has always paid homage to the Central Plains and naturally acknowledges Han as sovereign!” An Zhixing hastily stepped back, produced the national letter from his sleeve, and presented it with both hands. “Following the precedent of Ming, our small nation has annually offered congratulations and tribute.”

Lin Feng was genuinely surprised. He had expected to have to exert considerable pressure before the Joseon people would obey, but they were unexpectedly straightforward, almost playing at this. He instinctively took the letter and incredulously said, “Lord An, is this... really enough?”

An Zhixing cast a furtive glance at Lin Feng, their eyes briefly meeting before he lowered his head respectfully. “The Heavenly Army of Han is invincible. Though the Jurchens are strong with bow and crossbow, they cannot withstand you. How could our small nation defy heaven?”

It was clear that Ma Ying had left a deep impression on them. Lin Feng seemed to understand. Ma Ying’s victory report had been brief: “Greatly defeated the enemy, advanced hundreds of miles, captured several cities, beheaded thousands.” Due to the conciseness of classical Chinese, Lin Feng had not paid much attention, but in reality, most of the Joseon border troops stationed along the Yalu River had been routed by Ma Ying’s cavalry. The Joseon kingdom lacked any confidence in resisting such a sweeping force across Liaodong.

“True heroes are rare these days,” Lin Feng mused. In the past, Goryeo was a valiant people, with many Chinese generals suffering setbacks there—even Emperor Taizong of Tang had met defeat on the Korean Peninsula. Yet now, they scarcely had the courage to even fight one battle. If the ancestors of these Joseon warriors knew, they would surely be turning over in their graves.

Holding the national letter, Lin Feng casually handed it to Li Guangdi and slowly returned to his throne. “Lord An, it is indeed good that Joseon is willing to recognize our great Han as sovereign. But now that the barbarians have been pacified across the Central Plains, shouldn’t Joseon demonstrate some support?”

An Zhixing was alarmed and inwardly bitter. “Your Majesty, our small nation is weak and has few people. We truly lack the strength to send troops to assist the royal forces moving south!”

“You misunderstand! You misunderstand!” Lin Feng shook his head. “I’m not asking you to send soldiers. Our Han army is sufficient; we don’t need to borrow troops from you!” He suddenly found it amusing. This An Zhixing was clearly overestimating himself. Did he really think he could admire those worthless troops?

An Zhixing looked at Lin Feng in confusion, then suddenly realized and showed a troubled expression. “Could it be, Your Majesty intends to...”

“Hehe, Lord An, you must have seen on your journey the widespread fires of war and the refugees everywhere. Our Han is in dire straits. What I mean is, we plan to borrow some silver and grain from your country. What do you think?”

Lin Feng grinned. “Our two nations are close neighbors with centuries of friendship, a bond forged in iron. I’m sure your country won’t refuse me this favor, right?”

“I... I wonder, Your Majesty, how much silver and grain do you intend to request?”

“Oh, Lord An, rest assured, I am a man of honor and will not overlook the difficulties of a good friend. How about this...” Lin Feng rubbed his chin generously, “only a small amount—about one to two million taels of silver and two to three million dan of grain. Hehe... this time, our Joseon friends help us through the crisis, and the Han will certainly remember your kindness!”

An Zhixing’s face turned ashen, and he trembled as he spoke, “...One to two million taels of silver... two to three million dan of grain...”

“Right? Didn’t I say I’m a reasonable man? I heard your Joseon is a blessed land, known as the ‘Country of Tranquil Dawn.’ No major disasters have struck for over a century. This small sum should be nothing to you!”

“Your... Your Majesty...” An Zhixing wiped the sweat from his brow and forced himself to calm down. “Our small nation is weak and poor. We truly cannot provide such wealth!”

“Lord An, you are too modest. The diligence and kindness of the Joseon people are unrivaled worldwide. For the sake of friendship, such a small matter should not trouble you!”

“Your Majesty, please see reason...” Suddenly, An Zhixing knelt deeply, pleading bitterly, “Joseon’s land is barren, product scarce. Our people barely have enough to eat. How can we bear such a heavy demand?” He kowtowed heavily several times. “Earlier I submitted the national letter to Your Majesty. In the future, Joseon will serve Your Majesty as sovereign, and the people of Joseon will be Your Majesty’s subjects. We earnestly hope Your Majesty will show mercy!”

“Alas... Lord An! I am truly disappointed!” Lin Feng’s face darkened, and he repeated sternly, “I am really very disappointed!”

An Zhixing trembled with fear and glanced nervously at Lin Feng’s grim expression. “Your Majesty... the amount... the amount is indeed too great...”

“Too great?!” Lin Feng’s face was expressionless, his tone bitterly mocking. “Then what amount wouldn’t be too great?”

“Perhaps... one or two hundred thousand taels of silver and five hundred thousand dan of grain might still be manageable for our small nation...”

“Enough!” Lin Feng slammed the table, stood up, and pointed angrily at An Zhixing’s head. “If you can’t lend it, then I’ll lead the troops myself to take it! I bet you won’t dare refuse!”

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger, please calm your anger...” An Zhixing grimaced. “Then... how much would satisfy Your Majesty?”

“Very well!” Lin Feng’s anger subsided slightly as he sat back down and spoke gravely. “Five hundred thousand taels of silver, two million dan of grain—that is already my limit!”

An Zhixing broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, “Silver... silver may be possible, but... but this grain... two million dan—how can our small nation possibly provide that?”

“Then how much can you provide?” Lin Feng asked.

“Our small nation will clear granaries and gather herbs... perhaps one million dan of grain... maybe we can scrape that together!”

“One million dan isn’t enough!” Lin Feng refused decisively. He waved his hand and pondered for a moment. “Seeing how difficult this is for you, I won’t be too harsh. So, I’ll forgo the silver. But the full two million dan of grain is non-negotiable. However, I’ll buy one million dan of it with silver and cloth at market price. How’s that?”

An Zhixing prostrated himself, feeling utterly powerless. Though he was a senior diplomat of the Li dynasty, he had no authority to agree to such terms. Even if he did, he dared not without the king’s approval. Seeing Lin Feng closing in, he weakly said, “Your Majesty, this matter... is of great importance. May our small nation have time to discuss?”

“Tsk, tsk, two million dan of grain and you’re already in such a panic. You really are something!” Lin Feng shook his head disdainfully. “You go back and make it clear to young Lee: if he gives the grain, fine. If not, he’ll have to give it anyway. If there’s any trouble—either he comes to me, or I’ll bring the army to him!”