Chapter 675

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The lingering scent of sandalwood in the study was invigorating.

Xiao Ming stood up and walked to the west wall of the study, looking at the map before him.

The map covered the entire west wall of the study, a huge world map marking all the countries he knew of in the current world.

“Southern two prefectures?” Xiao Ming looked at the map. After Goryeo submitted to the barbarians, it seemed to show its determination to distance itself from the Great Yu Empire. The King of Goryeo changed all the prefectures within the country to counties.

And these so-called southern two prefectures were merely the former Wuju and Jeonju, which, according to contemporary divisions, would be South Korea’s South Jeolla Province and North Jeolla Province, two prefectures close to Japan.

“Goryeo is mountainous, and Japan mainly fights the barbarians from occupied cities as strongholds, which prevents the barbarians from leveraging their cavalry advantage. After months of maneuvering, and given Beishan’s fundamental unwillingness to fight Japan, this complex situation has only now arisen,” Wang Xuan said, his brow furrowed.

“It’s that Beishan again!” Xiao Ming snorted softly, “Even banishing him to Goryeo, his desire to destroy us is still strong.”

“Your Imperial Majesty, Beishan has always been a person who seeks revenge, and the barbarians are very wary of Your Imperial Majesty unifying the north. That is why they are eager to withdraw troops from Goryeo to deal with Your Imperial Majesty.”

Xiao Ming nodded, “I originally hoped that Japan could keep the barbarians tied up in Goryeo, letting them fight to a mutually destructive end. I didn’t expect this Beishan to be a clever man. But since Japan and the barbarians intend to reconcile, I don’t have much time left.”

“Indeed. Japan has occupied Wuju and Jeonju in Goryeo, which means they have taken root in Goryeo. Japan’s ambitions are no longer small, which in itself is a threat to the Great Yu Empire, let alone with the addition of the barbarians. If Japan and the barbarians collude, the Great Yu Empire could be in danger.”

Wang Xuan’s words were not alarmist. The barbarians and Japan clearly now shared common interests, and this interest was the carving up of the Great Yu Empire.

However, currently, due to Goryeo, the two were at odds. If one day they found themselves unable to deal with the Great Yu Empire alone, they would inevitably form an alliance.

Although the history of the Three Kingdoms period and earlier in this timeline was the same, since then, 1,500 years of history had completely changed.

For Xiao Ming, it was difficult to draw lessons from contemporary history because the nations he faced were unfamiliar, and he could not rely on old experiences to deal with them.

Furthermore, his arrival had once again influenced the course of history. For him, anything was possible now.

Because countries, like people, adjust their survival strategies based on the environment. Now, the environment in East Asia has changed, and this is the butterfly wing of history.

“So the war in the north should end sooner,” Xiao Ming clenched his fists. Now that he had committed his entire army, he didn’t believe Prince Zhao could still hold out.

After a pause, he asked, “Is there any other important intelligence besides this?”

“Also about the King of Chu, he is now cooperating more closely with the French. Besides selling firearms to the King of Chu at high prices, it is said that the French have also sent a hundred missionaries to Lin’an. According to the information this subordinate received, these missionaries are merely disguised artisans, and the King of Chu has also sent some noble children to France to study.”

Wang Xuan’s words made Xiao Ming’s heart sink. The King of Chu’s numerous actions now showed that he was preparing to learn from the West. Having been soundly defeated by the Dutch and constantly facing his threat, the King of Chu now seemed to cling to the French as a last straw.

“Keep an eye on the King of Chu,” Xiao Ming said thoughtfully. “No matter how much the King of Chu struggles now, everything he painstakingly built will be mine.”

The cooperation between the King of Chu and the French would undoubtedly increase the difficulty of his attack on Chu. However, he was confident that his own progress would surely be faster than the King of Chu’s.

In terms of technology, the French could not save the King of Chu. After all, the West’s overall industrial level was simply much higher than his own, and they had no particular advantage in specific technologies.

Although Xiao Ming also wanted to eliminate the threat of the King of Chu in time, the new developments with the barbarians and Japan immediately left him no time to attend to the King of Chu south of the Yangtze River.

Prince Zhao had not yet been brought to justice, and the barbarian threat was imminent. Moving south now would not be a wise move. Moreover, this northern war had consumed vast resources, and ammunition supplies were gradually becoming an issue. At the same time, the conquered cities also needed to be taken over and managed, which further tied his hands.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!” Wang Xuan bowed.

The two then discussed some other matters from various regions, and then Wang Xuan chose to leave. No sooner had he left than Li San walked in.

“Your Imperial Majesty.” Seeing Xiao Ming, Li San bowed.

After completing the mission concerning the Fourth Prince, Li San returned to Qingzhou to oversee various domestic affairs.

Sitting in his chair, Xiao Ming resumed reviewing memorials, and at the same time said, “You and Wang Xuan have a good understanding. Speak, what is it?”

Li San chuckled twice. He said, “Your Imperial Majesty’s kindness to this subordinate is as vast as a mountain. This subordinate certainly cannot lose to Wang Xuan.”

“Hmph, you only rely on that mouth of yours to show off,” Xiao Ming said without looking up.

Li San still chuckled. Now that Xiao Ming had betrothed Liu Li to him, and the Empress Dowager had taken Liu Li as her adopted daughter, he was quite prominent in Qingzhou for a time.

However, getting to the main topic, Li San’s expression turned serious. He said to Xiao Ming, “I wonder if Your Imperial Majesty knows of a school called the ‘Legal Society’?”

“Legal Society?” Xiao Ming’s movement froze. From his experience in later generations, he was always very sensitive to such things. “What does this Legal Society do?”

Seeing that Xiao Ming knew nothing about this, Li San said, “This Legal Society was founded by a student named Miao Guo’an from Bowen Academy. This Miao Guo’an once studied in the Political Affairs Academy of Bowen Academy and has always revered Legalist classics. This Legal Society was also founded to revitalize Legalist theories.”

“Miao Guo’an.” This name was somewhat familiar to Xiao Ming. He said, “Chief Grand Secretary Pang did mention this person’s name to me.”

Li San continued, “Then that’s right. This Legal Society was established with the support of Chief Grand Secretary Pang.”

Whether it was Confucianism or Legalism, these were both means used by rulers to govern the world. In contemporary times, from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, the prevailing thought was “Legalist within, Confucian without.”

As the name implies, “Legalist within, Confucian without” means outwardly promoting Confucian ideology, but in actual practice, relying on Legalist ideology, often a combination of Confucianism and Legalism, complementing each other.

However, the Legalist thought here was definitely not “the common people and even gentlemen are equal before the law.” Instead, the monarch was the law, the monarch was the core of everything. What the monarch said was law, and the essence of the rule of law was obedience to the monarch’s commands. This was the true meaning of “Legalist within, Confucian without.”

Thinking of this, Xiao Ming said, “You find a way to place an informant inside and see what kind of legal philosophy this Legal Society is promoting.”

For him, if the Legal Society intended to strengthen his power, that was acceptable, as it served to uphold imperial authority.

If this Legal Society were to stir up any trouble or introduce Western ideas, he would have to intervene.