Chapter 908

Bright sunlight shone down from the azure sky. The gentle sea breeze stirred up waves like crystals. Undoubtedly, it was a beautiful day.

Ye Qingyun’s words resonated deeply with Yue Yun. He did not want outsiders to interfere in this attack on Japan. He had waited for so many years precisely to personally slay the enemy who murdered his mother.

“Your saying so puts my mind at ease. I thought His Majesty had given you other orders,” Yue Yun said, patting Ye Qingyun’s shoulder.

Frowning, Ye Qingyun said, “His Majesty knows that I cannot spare any effort right now. Ever since I executed the King of Goryeo and his followers, all of Goryeo’s affairs have fallen upon my shoulders.”

“His Majesty trusts you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t let you be an isolated frontier official,” Yue Yun teased. “Moreover, with the steamship, returning from Haigucheng to Dengzhou only takes a day. And it’s said there’s a plan for a railway to extend through Goryeo as well?”

“Indeed, that is the plan.” Ye Qingyun did not deny it. Now, under the supervision of the Railway Department, the railway had already extended beyond Shanhai Pass and was spreading into the territory outside the pass. Among them, the railway from Jinzhou to Busan was also included in the planning.

And this plan was something he strongly pushed for, because once the railway was connected, the Great Yu Empire could perfectly control Goryeo from both sea and land.

Of course, the most important purpose was to rapidly exchange Goryeo’s raw materials for Great Yu Empire goods, bringing huge profits to the Great Yu Empire.

At the same time, railway transportation also facilitated the deployment of troops and logistics. For example, in Ye Qingyun’s current military operation against Japan, he needed to mobilize a large amount of supplies from Goryeo.

With the railway, this supply would become even more convenient. In addition, steam-powered warships were also under construction at the shipyard, which required establishing many coal supply points along the coast. Busan City was also one of them.

As the two were speaking, a clamor suddenly arose from outside the pier. The sound came from a group of well-dressed Goryeo scholars. Seeing these people, Ye Qingyun frowned, while Yue Yun asked, “Who are these people, daring to be so arrogant?”

Sighing slightly, Ye Qingyun said, “These are some Goryeo scholars. Yesterday, the officials of Busan City arrested one of their companions on charges of harboring illegal classics. They are now seizing the opportunity to cause trouble.”

“Illegal classics?” Yue Yun showed an interested expression.

Ye Qingyun explained, “Although the Goryeo nobles, led by the King of Goryeo, were executed, the historical texts they fabricated are still rampant in Goryeo. Based on this, His Majesty has ordered us to confiscate and burn all these fabricated items, and to punish those who harbor them. Otherwise, these people might, like the barbarians, covet Guandong. At the same time, this is also to prevent them from being exploited by enemy nations in the future, causing trouble.”

Yue Yun gently nodded. “I had long heard that when Goryeo was a vassal of the Golden Tent Khanate, the nobles, led by the King of Goryeo, fabricated a large amount of unnecessary Goryeo history, even incorporating the Great Yu Empire’s territory into Goryeo, claiming they would reclaim their land sooner or later. However, the Golden Tent Khanate was defeated by us, so they naturally could not have their way. But it is indeed troublesome for these things to circulate. They should be burned!”

“Precisely.” Ye Qingyun said. After understanding Goryeo, he realized how shameless the King of Goryeo and his ilk were, fabricating history and inciting Goryeo public anger, stopping at nothing.

With that, he said to the officials beside him, “Imprison all these Goryeo scholars! There can be no leniency in this matter! Also, quickly send books from the Great Yu Empire to the public schools!”

“Yes, Governor-General!” The Goryeo official in Busan City showed a fawning smile. Turning around, his face suddenly twisted as he roared at those Goryeo scholars, “You are simply seeking death! Men, beat them with sticks and imprison them all!”

Watching this scene, Yue Yun found it increasingly amusing. “This is what His Majesty meant by ‘using native to control native.’ I wonder if Japan can achieve this this time?”

“That will probably be difficult. Goryeo was first invaded by Japan, then abandoned by the Golden Tent Khanate. Only then could it be easily controlled by the Great Yu Empire. However, Japan’s population is four or five times that of Goryeo, and secondly, this Yamada Nobunaga is a more difficult character than the King of Goryeo. It’s unrealistic to expect him to accept a treaty similar to Goryeo’s.”

Yue Yun frowned. Japan’s defeat in Goryeo did not cripple Yamada Nobunaga, but he had already understood the Great Yu Empire’s current military strength and dared not provoke the Great Yu Empire anymore.

However, this did not mean that Yamada Nobunaga had conceded defeat to them. This man, who rose from a farmer to Japan’s supreme ruler, was not to be underestimated.

“No matter. Let’s first test Japan’s bottom line. This is a cat-and-mouse game now, and we have plenty of time,” Yue Yun’s eyes narrowed. He already had a plan to provoke a conflict.

…

Nagasaki.

Yamada Nobunaga was listening to a report from his pirates. In the past year, the Great Yu Empire’s warships blockading Japanese waters had become a norm.

However, the ocean was vast. No matter how much the Great Yu Empire blockaded, he could still dispatch his pirates to operate at sea and gather news from the sea.

But the news he received today clearly displeased him greatly. He learned that a large fleet had departed from Dengzhou and was sailing towards Busan City, the Goryeo city opposite Nagitsu.

What was the Great Yu Empire fleet coming for? This was an obvious question. Having controlled Goryeo, driven out the Golden Tent Khanate, and resolved the internal strife in the south, the Great Yu Empire now had time to deal with him?

“Lord Yamada, what should we do now?” a samurai asked.

In the ancient great hall, samurai loyal to Yamada Nobunaga sat on both sides. It was thanks to the loyalty of these samurai that he held his current position.

“What else can we do? We would rather be shattered than yield; we must kill them all,” a samurai said angrily.

“Easy to say! Now is not the time to win by courage alone! Moreover, the Great Yu Empire soldiers are also very fierce!”

“We have already lost the firearms competition.”

“…”

Listening to the samurai’s arguments, Yamada Nobunaga’s gaze gradually sharpened. He said angrily, “Silence all of you! The Great Yu Empire hasn’t attacked yet, and you are already in disarray?!”

After a pause, he continued, “Now, the most important problem is not the Great Yu Empire, but the dissatisfaction of the other daimyo. Goryeo’s defeat has made them increasingly dissatisfied with our rule. If the Great Yu Empire attacks, this fragile relationship might break.”

The samurai fell silent. The purpose of attacking Goryeo was to seize land from Goryeo and distribute it to the daimyo who followed them. Now that this hope was dashed, the daimyo were naturally very dissatisfied and demanded that Yamada Nobunaga redistribute land. But domestic land was already occupied by other daimyo; how could they relinquish it?

Thinking of this, Yamada Nobunaga couldn’t help but feel annoyed. However, at this moment, a thought suddenly flashed in his mind. A plan came to him.