Chapter 817

“Clang!”

The King of Goryeo’s precious sword fell to the ground, making a sound of metal striking the earth.

Wiping the blood from his face, the King of Goryeo said expressionlessly to the eunuchs, “Clean up the bedchamber.”

With that, he and Hwang Ja-man walked towards the council hall in front.

News of the barbarians’ westward migration arrived, and the suppressed anger in the King of Goryeo’s heart finally erupted. The various humiliations Beishan had inflicted upon him flashed through his mind, driving him mad.

Now that Beishan was dead, how could he tolerate the Queen who had once colluded with Beishan in front of him?

In the council hall, hundreds of ministers were already waiting. The arrival of Hwang Ja-man and the King of Goryeo made them concentrate.

“Your Majesty, the news of the Golden Tent Khanate’s westward migration is indeed true. Now that the Great Yu Empire is powerful, I hope Your Majesty will decide how Goryeo should position itself.”

The speaker was the Left State Councilor, Kim Hyun-sung. Together with Hwang Ja-man, the two were the two highest-ranking officials in Goryeo’s officialdom.

This question also troubled the King of Goryeo. After venting his anger, he had to face another cruel reality: what should Goryeo do now that it had lost the Golden Tent Khanate’s protection?

Japan to the south watched covetously, and the current Great Yu Empire was a behemoth that could beat the Golden Tent Khanate until it couldn’t find its way north.

And Goryeo was tightly sandwiched between these two countries. At the same time, he understood in his heart that neither the Great Yu Empire nor Japan would allow Goryeo to live in peace.

The Golden Tent Khanate had lost; what followed would be Goryeo’s nightmare.

Before the King of Goryeo could speak, Hwang Ja-man suddenly spoke out, “Your Majesty, we now have no choice but to pledge allegiance to the Great Yu Empire. I am willing to lead an envoy to Qingzhou Province to present a state letter and tribute, honoring the Great Yu Empire as our suzerain.”

As Hwang Ja-man’s words fell, a deathly silence descended upon the council hall. The hundreds of civil and military officials, who had once been close to the Golden Tent Khanate, now remained silent.

They understood the Golden Tent Khanate’s formidable strength. The Great Yu Empire’s ability to easily defeat them meant that dealing with Goryeo would be even simpler.

The loss of Haigucheng and Bisa Castle further made them realize the Great Yu Empire army’s strength. It could be said that Goryeo was now in danger of annihilation at any moment.

“Your Majesty, the Right State Councilor is absolutely right. We should now pledge allegiance to the Great Yu Empire. This way, we can use the Great Yu Empire to drive away the Japanese pirates and reclaim our southern territories. Is not the so-called suzerain meant for us to exploit? As long as we achieve our goal, what does it matter if we temporarily humble ourselves?”

A minister knelt on the ground and shouted.

“Your Majesty, this is the way small nations survive. Utilizing powerful nations for survival has always been our guiding principle. I hope Your Majesty will think twice.”

The King of Goryeo silently watched his ministers. Although he felt extremely aggrieved, this was now the reality. The wisest choice now was to dispatch a delegation to the Great Yu Empire.

“All you beloved ministers are right. If the Great Yu Empire desires the empty title of suzerain, let them have it. Haven’t we been using every suzerain for hundreds of years? As long as we show a little humility, the Great Yu Empire will drive away Japan for us. I am willing to endure this humiliation,” the King of Goryeo said decisively.

Although he spoke passionately, as if for the country and its people, what he truly wanted to preserve was his own throne and wealth.

“Your Majesty is wise.”

The ministers shouted in unison. Even the ministers who had once been friendly with the Golden Tent Khanate rejoiced. They had befriended the Golden Tent Khanate for survival, and now befriending the Great Yu Empire was also for survival.

Hwang Ja-man let out a slight breath. He said, “In that case, I will prepare in a few days and then depart for Qingzhou Province.”

The King of Goryeo nodded. He said, “Take the imperial prince with you as well. Let him remain in Qingzhou Province as a hostage, to appease the Emperor of the Great Yu Empire.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Hwang Ja-man said happily.

Having settled this matter, the King of Goryeo waved his hand, dismissing the ministers.

At this point, Hwang Ja-man left the council hall before the other ministers and headed to his residence. Upon returning home, Hwang Ja-man hastily went back to his room and eagerly shouted, “Quick, bring the black incense!”

The servants, hearing this, soon brought a bamboo pipe for smoking black incense, along with some powder.

Hwang Ja-man’s face showed a morbid excitement. He picked up the opium pipe and began puffing smoke towards the candle flame, looking utterly engrossed.

While he was smoking the black incense, Hwang Byung-ahn appeared outside the door. He said to his father, who was enjoying himself, “Father, why didn’t you wait for me?”

With that, he also lay down on the bed and smoked with Hwang Ja-man.

Hwang Ja-man glanced at Hwang Byung-ahn. He said, “You just returned from Haigucheng? How much did you lose this time?”

“Not much, just a thousand taels of silver. For our family’s business, that silver is nothing,” Hwang Byung-ahn said calmly.

“Hmph, this is all thanks to Chairman Li’s care. From now on, when you go to Haigucheng, don’t just focus on gambling. You must also cultivate a good relationship with Chairman Li. Now that the barbarians have been thoroughly defeated by the Great Yu Empire, Goryeo will soon switch allegiance to the Great Yu Empire.” Hwang Ja-man said, “Today, I told His Majesty that I intend to go on an envoy mission to Qingzhou Province. You go and inform Chairman Li, tell him that I will lead a delegation to Haigucheng in three days, and then discuss this mission with him.”

Hwang Byung-ahn raised his eyebrows. “Father, you always said I was useless, but what about now? If not for my acquaintance with Chairman Li, our Hwang family would not have had this opportunity. When you return from this trip to Qingzhou Province, Father, you will be the foremost power in Goryeo.”

Hwang Ja-man smiled. “Hahaha, this is the only proper thing you’ve ever done. This time, after I return from the Great Yu Empire, I want to see how Kim Hyun-sung will contend with me.”

“Hehehe…” Hwang Byung-ahn also laughed triumphantly. He said, “Father, what does His Majesty think of this black incense?”

“That goes without saying! Naturally, it’s like a dream. Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn’t have agreed to this wonderful thing,” a sharp glint flashed in Hwang Ja-man’s eyes.

…

Goryeo Royal Palace. The blood here had already been cleaned. Returning to the bedchamber, the King of Goryeo yawned, then ordered for black incense to be brought to him.

This item was sent by Hwang Ja-man. After two uses, he became addicted. It truly was a substance that could relieve a thousand worries with one puff.

While puffing smoke, the King of Goryeo recalled Goryeo’s history. He believed he had done nothing wrong this time, because historically, they had always chosen to align themselves with strong Central Plains dynasties.

When they were weak, they would seize the opportunity to encroach on land. It was this strategy that allowed Goryeo’s territory to continuously expand, from the south all the way to the Yalu River and Tumen River.

Subsequently, Goryeo’s former kings had massively migrated common people from the south to settle in the north, and at the same time established twenty-six cities and sixteen fortresses, eventually completely occupying this vast land.

When the Great Yu Empire was weak, he also wanted to emulate the former kings by occupying the Changbai Mountain area. It was just that the Golden Tent Khanate was too domineering, preventing him from succeeding. And this had always been a regret for him.