Without anything to rely on, Ishida Mitsunari and Yu Kitahide's troops were torn apart by Li Rusong's troops and Liu Gu's troops in a very short period of time. Not even dregs were left. The two starving troops devoured the last two stubborn Japanese pirates with green eyes and successfully ended the battle. Before Song Yingchang arrived at the military camp, the Battle of Pusan had ended.
The Korean Peninsula, which had been in a stalemate for almost three months, finally returned to peace. Groups of Japanese pirates were organized into lines and tied up in rows. They were escorted back to Seoul by the Ming Army. Song Yingchang had previously sent news that Zhu Yijun had allowed the Ming Army to send 30,000 Japanese pirates to Liaodong in advance to work in a large mine in Liaodong.
It seemed that the opposition of the civil officials on the issue of using captives to open up the mine was not as strong. However, this group of powerful civil officials would never unconditionally agree with the emperor's opinion, not to mention that the strengthening of the emperor's power was an indirect weakening of the civil officials' power. The civil officials would not be happy to see such a situation, but whether it was from a moral or economic perspective, they did not have a strong argument to oppose the opening of the mine.
The emperor used his own private money and the captives he captured to open up the mine. He did not use the strength of a person or a grain of rice from the people. What reason could they use to oppose it? Environmental protection?
There were indeed a few hotheads who used the emperor's misuse of the palace treasury's silver as a reason to complain. Zhu Yijun was very angry. He directly issued an edict to the cabinet to scold a few of the cabinet elders. Then he directly ordered the Imperial Censors to be flogged ten times and driven out of the court. This time, not many people dared to intercede for them. If the emperor really locked up the palace treasury's silver use, the people in the Ministry of Revenue would be the first to cry, and then the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works would cry.
Xiao Ruxun's side was fighting fiercely, and the court was not at all stable.
Song Yingchang quickly arrived. This was the first time they had met after several months since last year. The two of them met and felt a lot of emotions.
"Ji Xin, you didn't disappoint any of our expectations. This great victory is enough to go down in the annals of history, and it's enough to let you, Xiao Ruxun, be famous throughout the ages. 40,000 Fighters, killing 150,000 enemies, Xiao Ruxun, you're really something!"
Song Yingchang looked at Xiao Ruxun with a smile and reached out to hold Xiao Ruxun's hand. They walked hand in hand into the military camp.
After entering the barracks, everyone had a grand welcoming banquet as well as a celebration banquet. After the banquet, everyone was a little drunk and went back to sleep. Song Yingchang only left Xiao Ruxun and Yuan Huang behind, leaving only three people sober in the central tent.
"Duke Song, if there's anything important, just say it!"
The relaxed expression on Xiao Ruxun's face disappeared and was replaced with a serious expression. Song Yingchang and Yuan Huang's drunkenness also disappeared completely, replaced with a serious expression.
"Alright, it's just the few of us. I won't beat around the bush. The pro-peace faction in the court is very powerful. They are very dissatisfied with the fact that our army has been fighting for a long time and has consumed a large number of warehouses. Moreover, they don't even know how much we have gained. His Majesty has blocked the news and has not told this matter to the ministers and the Six Ministries. The ministers and the Six Ministries do not know how much we have gained from this battle. Because of this, some upright ministers want the battle to end as soon as possible."
"Dare I ask, Duke Strategist, what about the dishonest ministers?"
Yuan Huang narrowed his eyes. He understood the meaning behind Song Yingchang's words.
"They accuse me of not caring about anything. They accuse Ji Xin of nurturing bandits and raising troops for her own gain. They even slandered me and Ji Xin for conspiring to attack Korea to establish the country, betraying Daming and His Majesty. They demand that I and Ji Xin be immediately removed from their positions and that a good general be appointed to lead the army."
Song Yingchang snorted coldly.
"This …"
Yuan Huang never expected that he had overestimated the moral integrity of those politicians. They even dared to say such f * cking words. This kind of clear and undisguised accusation really refreshed the bottom line of the Daming civil officials' moral integrity. From then on, the bottom line of the Daming civil officials' moral integrity was even lower.
"There are some words that I can't say. I still need to rely on Duke Song to speak up for me."
Xiao Ruxun was unexpectedly calm. "Duke Song, I still need to fight one last battle. After this battle, Japan will not be able to start a war for at least ten years. The Daming's sea border will definitely be stable. We can then concentrate on other things. Duke Song, in these last two months, please help I!"
Song Yingchang looked at Xiao Ruxun and sighed softly.
"Ji Xin, this old man originally had a plan before coming here. If you haven't conquered Pusan, this old man will advise you to stop at Pusan. If you conquer Pusan and instigate civil strife in Japan, this old man will do his best to support you. However, this old man didn't expect that not only did you conquer Pusan and instigate civil strife in Japan, but you also obtained the head of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and even forced Japan to cede territory and pay reparations. This old man really didn't expect this."
"There's more, Duke Song. Previously, I and Japan agreed on a wartime treaty of four million taels of silver and sixty percent of Ishizen Ginseng every year, which is six hundred thousand taels of silver, ceded three islands, and opened the port to trade."
Xiao Ruxun told Song Yingchang about the treaty that he had previously abandoned. He didn't mention this matter to Song Yingchang. He felt that it was better to wait until the treaty was finalized before reporting to Song Yingchang. However, it seemed that the pressure from the imperial court was extraordinary. He didn't have any more time to dawdle. He had to fight for enough support to launch the final battle!
"Four million taels? Six hundred thousand taels? Ji Xin, the Japanese agreed? "
Song Yingchang's eyes widened. "If we tell His Majesty about this, His Majesty will definitely support it fully. He won't allow anyone to interfere with this decisive battle. The pressure from the imperial court will also be greatly reduced! Ji Xin, why didn't you tell this old man? "
"Because I rejected this treaty!"
Song Yingchang's eyes widened and he asked incredulously, "Why?"
"Because I thinks that Daming can get more! Four million taels of silver is just to send off a beggar! Daming the Celestial Empire, can a mere four million taels of silver be sent off? What I wants is ten million taels of silver and the entire Ishizen Ginseng mountain! A mere four million taels of silver is not a problem at all! "
"Ten … ten million? Ji Xin, will the Japanese really agree? "
"It's best if they don't agree. If they don't agree, I will have an excuse to go to war with them again. Duke Song, don't be impatient. I will tell you the situation in Japan at this moment. After you listen, you will naturally come to a suitable conclusion."
Looking at Xiao Ruxun's sincere face, Song Yingchang nodded silently.
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