Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 351 Li Sancai's Bamboo Stake
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty."
"Oh, Mr. Sancai, I have said this many times. You have been the Prime Minister of the Celestial Empire. In my eyes, you are like a god. There is no need to be like this, no need to be like this."
"Well, etiquette cannot be abandoned." Li Sancai, who followed the etiquette of meeting the prince of his country, stood up slowly and asked: "I wonder if the king is used to living in Liaoyang City?"
"Good, excellent! Xiao Wang has nothing to be dissatisfied with."
Yes, he was the king of a country. After all, the Ming Dynasty did not have any decent cities on the north bank of the Yalu River. Therefore, after the King of Korea crossed the Yalu River uninvited, Li Sancai still accompanied Li Hui to Liaoyang City.
Not only Li Hui came to Liaoyang, but also various princes and grandchildren of the Korean royal family, some distant relatives of the Li family, plus various palace maids, eunuchs, guards and so on who served these people, a total of more than 2,000 people.
Such a large team, for a city like Liaoyang, which used to have only one governor, could not be accommodated in a mansion. Therefore, Li Rubai, who served as the general in Datong, Shanxi, generously represented the Li family and temporarily lent the Ningyuan Earl's Mansion where Li Chengliang used to stay. Li Sancai also emptied almost all the houses of a certain size in Liaoyang City. Only then did he settle these "nobles" from Korea.
"Haha, as long as the king is satisfied with his stay, I will be relieved."
"Well, Mr. Sancai, although Liaoyang is good, I am not Liu Chan after all. So, may I ask when the Celestial Empire will send troops?"
"Your Majesty, this analogy is not quite appropriate. Our dynasty did not destroy Joseon."
"Ah? Oh, yes, yes, I am a wild man, not very knowledgeable, and I misused allusions. I beg you to forgive me, Mr. Sancai."
"How dare I forgive the king? I just ask the king to be cautious in the future. If the Crown Prince of our dynasty heard this, it would not be so easy."
"That's right, that's right. His Royal Highness, the mighty might of the dragon is such that even I, the little king, am in awe of it in this remote corner."
Seeing beads of sweat on Li Hui's forehead, Li Sancai stopped beating. He turned serious and said, "I came here to report to the king. On February 15th, our dynasty fought a decisive battle with the Japanese pirates and three other bandits in the Ryukyu Sea and won a great victory! Today, I received an order from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, asking me to start making plans for the army to cross the Yalu River."
"Ah? Ah!" Hearing this, Li Hui could no longer remain calm. He danced with joy for a while before reacting and quickly apologized for his previous disrespect.
"God bless us, the Celestial Empire is still the invincible Celestial Empire it once was! So, Mr. Sancai, when will the Celestial Empire send out its troops? Uh, no, when will you send out your troops, Mr. Sancai?"
“Well, hehe…”
Old Li wiped his beard, gave an unfathomable smile, and then refused to speak.
North Korea has learned Confucianism even more than China. As the king of North Korea, how could Li Hui not know what to do at this time? After his eyes rolled slightly, he said with a straight face: "My husband, it is my fault. It is already March, but I have always forgotten that last winter was very cold. At your age, and taking office in Liaodong, you really should have two warm beds. Our Korean women, although not very good-looking, are gentle and considerate. It happened that my husband came to live in the motherland this time, and brought a pair of twelve-year-old twin maids. They are very sympathetic and serve people in a unique way..."
"hehe……"
"My husband, we in North Korea don't have anything particularly good. Apart from women, the only things we can offer are some furs, ginseng, and pearls. I have an intact tiger skin, a 300-year-old ginseng, and a pearl the size of half an egg. You should present them to me as a filial gift..."
"Your Majesty, please keep these things and prepare to send them to Beijing." Li Sancai took a deep breath and said, "After the Crown Prince of our dynasty reformed the salaries of officials, although I am now the governor of Liaodong, I receive a salary of the second rank, which is 240 yuan per month. This money is enough for my expenses. As for Beijing..." Li Sancai lowered his voice and said softly to Li Hui, "There is news from the palace that our emperor is preparing to abdicate in the near future and let the Crown Prince ascend the throne."
"Ah? Oh, this is a great event! Uh, my husband, what I just said is still to honor you. The new emperor of the motherland of the Celestial Empire has ascended the throne. As a loyal vassal of the Ming Dynasty, although I am in an awkward situation now, I will still present a valuable gift. Please don't refuse it, my husband."
"Hey, I really don't want the stuff. Although I am a prefect, I still have Jinyiwei around me. If this matter is exposed, I am afraid that both the king and I will lose our heads!" After saying this, Li Sancai did not wait for Li Hui to speak, and immediately followed up: "My king, I can give the order to cross the river, but I am only one person. The ones who can really drive away the Japanese pirates are the 75,000 soldiers stationed by the Yalu River who have endured a winter in the freezing cold of Liaodong, as well as the doctors, craftsmen, and civilians who provide them with all kinds of protection."
"Oh, oh, oh, this is indeed Xiao Wang's fault. He didn't go to entertain the troops for the entire winter..."
You also know that you didn't go to entertain the troops! Damn you, you bastard, you've lived in my Ming Dynasty for so long, not only don't you pay the rent, but you also send people to me all day and night to cry and ask the Liaodong Governor's Office to give you a certain amount of food on schedule every month. Tsk! These two thousand people actually asked for 3,000 dan of food a month? What a big appetite!
Although 3,000 dan of grain was only worth 1,200 yuan in Liaodong, a place that originally produced grain, it was far less than the 2,000 taels of silver that Lao Li used to spend on a meal in Huaiyang. But Lao Li just didn't like this stingy guy.
"Your Majesty, according to the information I have received, the Crown Prince will ascend the throne in May this year. Your Majesty will definitely go to Beijing by then, right? If the Crown Prince asks you about your relationship with my Liaodong troops, how will you answer?"
"Oh, yes, yes, it is indeed my fault. I will give the order right away. No, I will personally go to the north bank of the Yalu River and then return to Beijing."
"Your Majesty, it's already March and the weather has warmed up. The mud is boiling everywhere in Liaodong and the roads are very difficult to travel. If you turn back like this, Your Majesty will not be able to make it to the coronation ceremony of the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty."
"Well, Mr. Sancai, I trust you the most. How about you entertain the troops on my behalf?"
You bastard finally got the message. If you don’t get the message again and keep talking nonsense about being appointed as the Korean minister to entertain the troops, I will sink you into the Liaohe River right now!
"Hahaha, I wonder how much the king is going to provide for the troops?"
"One, one hundred and ten thousand taels of silver?"
"Your Majesty, after the reform by the Crown Prince, the salary of soldiers in our dynasty starts from three yuan per month for new soldiers, and the troops also provide food, clothing, housing and transportation. Your ten thousand taels of silver... This is very difficult for me."
"Then, what about the twenty thousand taels?"
Old Li swung his sleeves and turned away. "If the king continues to tease me like this, I don't want to say anything more."
"Sir, please wait. Sir, I have fled all the way from Seoul to the Celestial Empire, and I don't have much with me. Please tell me how much I should give to the troops?"
"Ah, it's not that I'm embarrassed, it's just that the appetites of these soldiers have been pampered by the Crown Prince. My king, according to the custom of our dynasty, before the soldiers set out, one month's salary will be added. Before the war, another month's salary will be added. So..."
"That's 450,000 yuan?"
Li Sancai shook his head and said, "The salaries of doctors and craftsmen accompanying the army in our dynasty are much higher than those of ordinary soldiers. Civilians also get at least two yuan a month, and officers get even more."
Li Hui sat down on the ground dejectedly. After a long while, tears almost fell from his eyes. "My husband, 20,000 taels of gold and 350,000 taels of silver. This is the entire Korean treasury. I don't have any more."
"Tsk, my king, my soldiers of the Ming Dynasty have been sleeping in the ice and snow for half a year for you, Korea. The resentment is very great. If the anger is not smooth, well, they can't do anything to you, but there are so many princes and grandchildren in your country... Alas, I am old, and there are many things that I can't do without fail."
"Oh, my lord, I came out in a hurry and I really don't have much with me. How about I sell the jewelry of the concubines who followed me to Liaodong and collect another 50,000 taels of silver?"
…
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Mr. Li has left."
"Don't call him husband! He's just a bandit! According to the current gold price, this is a total of 550,000 taels of silver! I have lost most of the treasury of North Korea!"
An enraged Li Hui got up from the ground and broke several cups and bottles as if to vent his anger. After roaring and yelling at the top of his lungs, he finally calmed down a little.
Then, with red eyes, he said to the attendants around him : "Pack your luggage and prepare gifts, we are going to Beijing! I want to file a complaint to the Emperor of Ming Dynasty! I want to bribe enough censors to impeach this old man to death!"
