Honeyed Words, Hidden Daggers (2)

The Xuande Emperor was far wiser than the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

Unlike Zhu Yuanzhang, he tried not to suspect people without cause, and he also avoided purging ministers and chief councillors without reason as much as possible.

That caution was not directed solely at his officials; he behaved the same way when dealing with foreign countries, including Joseon.

“What does the Minister of War think? Is Joseon likely to betray us?”

Later generations said that three brilliant chief councillors served under the Xuande Emperor.

One of them, Yang Shiqi, did not answer the emperor's question immediately. Instead, he fell into thought for a moment.

If they were Jurchens who controlled part of Liaodong, or those mad Japanese barbarians who called themselves the emperor (tennō) of some sun-rising country, he would not have needed to worry too much.

No matter how wildly those people behaved, they could not inflict a fatal blow on the Ming dynasty.

But Joseon was different.

Not only was it a nation that had inherited Goguryeo, but the Gaebyeolcho led by Yi Seong-gye was an elite army that had easily wiped out tens of thousands of Red Turban rebels—the very rebels Zhu Yuanzhang had once joined...