Chapter Twenty-Five: Setting Out on the Journey Home

Zhen Youcai and Scarface, under the guidance of Korean officials, entered the Korean royal palace. Though Zhen Youcai was short and plain in appearance, he walked with an air of arrogance and spirited confidence. The truth was, he feared death, but he knew all too well that the more brazen he acted now, the safer he would be—showing timidity at such a time could well spell his doom.

Upon entering the grand hall, Zhen Youcai neither knelt nor bowed. He spoke in Manchu with supreme arrogance, "The envoy of the Great Qing has arrived outside Hanyang city. Why did you not open the gates to welcome us?"

"How dare you!" The Korean Grand Marshal, Kim Taehyeon, shouted furiously. "Why do you not kneel before our king?"

Kim Taehyeon was the son of Kim Kyŏngsoe, who had served as deputy marshal of the Korean auxiliary troops during the Battle of Sarhu. After the Ming forces were defeated and the Korean army was forced to surrender, both father and son were detained by the Later Jin for over a decade, only released when Hong Taiji launched his second campaign against Korea.

Thus, Kim Taehyeon spoke fluent Manchu.

"Ridiculous," Zhen Youcai sneered. "I am an envoy of the Great Qing, a representative sent for negotiations! What reason would there be for me to perform obeisance before the ruler of a vassal state?"

"You—!"

Enraged, Kim Taehyeon drew his sword and moved to threaten Zhen Youcai, but Scarface, standing behind Zhen Youcai, stepped forward and blocked his path, his eyes glinting with menace as he fixed Kim Taehyeon with a deadly stare. Kim Taehyeon hesitated, suddenly daunted, and dared not take another step.

Zhen Youcai sneered, "What, do you dare to kill an envoy of the Great Qing?"

The Chief State Councillor, who was also fluent in Manchu, quickly intervened. "We would never dare such a thing. Our country would never entertain such thoughts. But may we ask, which envoy has the Great Qing sent this time?"

Zhen Youcai made a show of clasping his fists toward the north and declared proudly, "Prince Li, Daišan."

The Chief State Councillor returned to King Yi, lowered his voice, and spoke in Korean, "Your Majesty, our guards spotted several hundred cavalrymen in red armor among the Great Qing troops outside the city. It appears the commander is indeed Daišan, Prince Li and master of the Plain Red Banner."

King Yi likewise lowered his voice, "No matter who it is, we absolutely cannot allow the Qing troops into the city."

The Chief State Councillor nodded and turned to Zhen Youcai, "May we ask what business brings the esteemed envoy of the Great Qing to our humble country?"

Zhen Youcai lifted his nose and announced haughtily, "To collect military funds."

The councillor conferred in Korean again with King Yi and the assembled officials before asking, "How much tribute does the Great Qing wish our country to provide this time?"

Zhen Youcai raised five fingers and declared in an uncompromising tone, "Five million taels!"

"What?" The councillor’s expression darkened. "This is—this is outright robbery! Esteemed envoy, our country is small and poor; we simply cannot raise such a sum."

"How you raise the funds is your concern. My duty is only to convey the message," Zhen Youcai retorted. "Prince Li said that if you truly cannot provide so much silver, you may pay in gold, ginseng, or jewels at equivalent value. He also said that if you cannot gather five million taels within three days, the Great Qing army will come to collect by force—and when that happens, it will be more than five million. Think carefully."

With these final words, Zhen Youcai swept out of the hall.

After Zhen Youcai and Scarface had departed, King Yi asked the Chief State Councillor anxiously, "Well?"

The councillor sighed deeply and replied, "Your Majesty, the Great Qing demands that we raise five million taels of silver within three days."

"What? Five million taels!"

"This is sheer extortion!"

"Outrageous!"

The court was in an uproar. King Yi sighed in despair, "The treasury contains only one and a half million taels. Even if we include the palace jewels, we barely reach two million—still three million short."

[Korea, influenced by Ming China, also used a silver-based currency system.]

"Your Majesty, I fear we have no choice but to pay," the councillor lamented. "This time, the Emperor of Qing has sent the highly respected Prince Li. Perhaps Your Majesty could command the wealthy households of Hanyang to contribute, and the ministers as well. I estimate we might scrape together another million, and I will negotiate with Prince Li, explaining that we cannot possibly pay the remaining two million."

Marshal Kim Taehyeon interjected urgently, "Your Majesty, we cannot pay this military fund!"

The Left State Councillor agreed, "The marshal is right. If we pay, our treasury will be emptied, and even the ministers’ salaries will be lost."

"But if we don’t?" the Chief State Councillor said coldly. "Then we must prepare for the Eight Banners army to march in and for the ruin of our nation."

Kim Taehyeon and the Left State Councillor shivered and fell silent.

They all knew the might of the Qing army—Kim Taehyeon had even been a prisoner for over a decade, and the memory of their strength was still vivid. With just five thousand cavalry, the Qing could destroy their country.

King Yi slumped weakly in his chair and waved his hand. "Very well, do as you see fit."

■■■

Beijing, the Forbidden City.

The Chongzhen Emperor, drunk and supported by Wang Cheng’en, arrived at the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, where Empress Zhou and the palace servants were already kneeling in greeting. The emperor swept his sleeve and declared, "Rise, all of you."

Empress Zhou personally helped him to the eastern warm chamber, settled him on the imperial couch, and offered fragrant tea before saying with joy, "I haven’t seen Your Majesty so happy in a long time."

"Happy, yes, today I am truly happy," the emperor replied, his eyes glazed with drink. "With less than a thousand men, we struck deep into Liaodong, destroyed the Manchu stronghold, captured their chief, and lifted the sieges of Jinzhou and Songshan without a battle! I dispatched an army of 130,000 and could not break the siege, but this small force succeeded. This Wang Pu is truly extraordinary."

Empress Zhou smiled, "If Your Majesty esteems Wang Pu so highly, you should reward him well when he returns."

"I certainly will," the emperor replied thoughtfully. "But Wang Pu dared to attack the Manchu stronghold with only a thousand men—such boldness worries me. He is a rare talent, but I fear he may be too wild to control."

Empress Zhou laughed, "Then Your Majesty should put a bridle on him; even the wildest steed must obey if properly reined."

"You and I think alike," the emperor nodded. "Indeed, I should give this thoroughbred a bridle, so he may serve me and the Ming well."

Empress Zhou asked, "It seems Your Majesty already has a plan?"

"Yes," the emperor nodded. "When Wang Pu returns, I will betroth Ruer to him."

Ruer was Princess Changping, Zhu Weiru—though that was not her true name, as her given name was too rare for common use. She was the emperor’s eldest legitimate daughter, born of Empress Zhou, now fourteen years old and, by Ming law, of marriageable age.

Empress Zhou mused, "You wish to make Wang Pu the imperial son-in-law?"

"He may be a soldier of humble birth, but he is a great hero—he will not disgrace Ruer."

"Your Majesty may do as you see fit," Empress Zhou said, waving for the servants and eunuchs to withdraw. A hint of springtime delight danced in her eyes. "Your Majesty, it is getting late. You should rest."

The emperor had not visited the palace of Earthly Tranquility in two months. Empress Zhou, just over thirty, was in her prime, and tonight she had long awaited the emperor’s presence. But as she was about to embrace him, soft snores came from behind. Turning, she saw that the emperor had already fallen asleep on the brocade cushion.

She sighed softly, heart full of both longing and sorrow.

■■■

Hanyang.

While the emperor and empress were discussing Wang Pu’s marriage, Wang Pu himself was ruthlessly stripping the Korean royal family, officials, and wealthy clans of their wealth. After much haggling, the “Great Qing” reluctantly agreed to the Chief State Councillor's compromise: Korea would pay 3.5 million taels within five days.

This included 1.8 million taels of silver, gold valued at 200,000 taels (counted as 800,000 taels of silver, since gold could not circulate as currency in Korea, only as a collectible or ornament), 50,000 jin of ginseng (valued at 500,000 taels, as Wang Pu forced the price down to half the official rate), and forty large chests of jewels, furs, and dried goods (valued at 400,000 taels).

Five days later, the Qing troops—regarded by the people of Hanyang as bringers of disaster—finally left, along with dozens of carts loaded with silver, ginseng, and chests of treasures. Korea’s losses were staggering; the royal family was all but bankrupt.

At Incheon, Wang Pu used the Korean king’s letter to requisition three warships, loaded them with loot from Shenyang, Hanyang, and along the way, and set sail for home.

…

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