amaotonovel Chapter 279 The Ming-Gao Friendship Treaty
Chapter 279 The Ming-Gao Friendship Treaty
Park Deok-hwan almost died of anger on the spot.
What am I?
I am an envoy sent by the King of Goryeo, the Little China of the East, to your Great Ming Dynasty!
Still issuing a notice?
Are you really not afraid that Goryeo will fight to the death with your Ming Dynasty?
After taking several deep breaths, Park Deok-hwan slowly loosened his clenched fists and said in a deep voice, "Minister Yang, please forgive me. As an envoy from a small country, I dare not agree to the matter of Jeju. I hope that you can be lenient and allow me to discuss it with my king after I return to my country."
Magistrate Yang chuckled nonchalantly and said, “Sure, but I also plan to send someone back with you. Your king may want Jeju, but King Gwon Shin Don may not. We’ll see who’s willing to sign then, and I’ll have someone sign with him. What do you say?”
"You!" Quan Dehuan could no longer contain himself. He pointed at Magistrate Yang and shouted angrily, "Minister Yang, are you speaking on your own behalf or on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty?"
"If this is what you said on behalf of yourself, I will pretend I didn't hear it and we can discuss it further."
"If this is on behalf of your Emperor, then I think there's no need to continue this discussion. Even if your Ming Dynasty were to launch a military campaign against Goryeo, the people and soldiers of Goryeo are not necessarily afraid!"
Magistrate Yang glanced coldly at Quan Dehuan and snorted, "What are you doing? Trying to scare me?"
After speaking, Magistrate Yang simply took an envelope from the scholar standing beside him, opened it, pulled out a few sheets of paper, and casually tossed them onto the table.
"This is the 'Ming-Goryeo' Friendship Treaty I have drafted. Take a look at it first. If you think it's acceptable, sign it. If you think it's not acceptable, go back to Goryeo directly. I will go to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming to apologize and then discuss the matter of conquering Goryeo."
After speaking, Magistrate Yang stood up from his chair and instructed the four scholars who had been standing there for a long time: "Go, to the monkey... to Annam."
The four scholars were completely dumbfounded.
This... is this the magnanimity of a great nation?
No, although you, Magistrate Yang, did tell the stories of Zhang Qian, She He, Fu Jiezi, and An Guo Shaoji, these people were all causing trouble outside of the Han Dynasty, weren't they?
You, Magistrate Yang, dared to do this even in the Ming Dynasty. Are you really not afraid of the Goryeo envoy impeaching you?
But Magistrate Yang had only taken a few steps, and hadn't even reached the door of the house, when Quan Dehuan said in a deep voice, "Young Master Yang, wait!"
Magistrate Yang stopped in his tracks, turned his head slightly, and asked, "Is there anything else, Envoy Park?"
Park Deok-hwan took a deep breath and said to Magistrate Yang, "I was impetuous and rash just now and offended Magistrate Yang. I hope Magistrate Yang can be magnanimous and not hold it against me."
Magistrate Yang chuckled and said, "You can rest assured about that. Everyone in the entire Ming Dynasty knows that I, Yang, have always been magnanimous."
Seeing that Magistrate Yang was not responding at all, Park Deok-hwan had no choice but to bow slightly and say, "I can sign the 'Ming-Gao Friendship Treaty' compiled by Vice Minister Yang, but I ask that Vice Minister Yang grant me one condition."
Magistrate Yang then turned his anger into joy, walked back to his chair and sat down, and said with a smile, "Envoy Park, please tell me your conditions. As long as I can agree to them, I will definitely agree."
Park Deok-hwan's hands were trembling as he held the so-called "Myong-ga Friendship Treaty".
Jeju Island belonged to the Ming Dynasty, and Goryeo subjects were not allowed to set foot there at will.
Merchants from the Ming Dynasty had the right to conduct business freely in Goryeo, but their taxes could not be higher than those of Goryeo merchants.
The Ming Guild Hall was established in Gaegyeong, with Ming envoys stationed there permanently to handle all matters concerning Ming merchants and commoners in Goryeo.
The Da Ming Guild Hall was considered part of the territory of the Ming Dynasty and required a hundred guards to be stationed there. Without permission, the Goryeo monarch and his subjects were not allowed to enter.
The people of the superior nation are not subject to the judgment of the inferior nation. If any Ming merchants or commoners violate the criminal law of Goryeo, the Ming Guild Hall must send people to arrest and try them. The Goryeo government has no right to arrest them.
The rights of Ming merchants to purchase, mine, and sell mineral resources within the territory of Goryeo are the same as those of the people of Goryeo.
The dozen or so-called friendship treaties, in reality, did not treat Goryeo as a normal country in any of them, and reflected the superiority complex of the Celestial Empire in every aspect.
What an insult!
As for the equal terms that Yang wrote in the treaty, allowing Goryeo to set up a Goryeo guild hall in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Park Deok-hwan saw them as completely unequal.
According to the treaty, the Ming Guild Hall in the capital was a state within a state. Merchants and common people of the Ming Dynasty could come and go as they pleased, but the king of Goryeo could not set foot there. Meanwhile, the Goryeo Guild Hall in the Ming Dynasty could only be protected by troops sent by Yingtian Prefecture or the Five Cities Military Command. Goryeo soldiers were not allowed to set foot on Ming territory. How could this be considered equality?
The more Park Deok-hwan thought about it, the hotter the so-called "Friendship Treaty" in his hand felt.
But how could one possibly have control over all of this?
Sign it, and you'll be infamous for eternity.
If they don't sign, not only will they fail to fulfill their king's instructions, but Goryeo may even face annihilation.
Even if the Ming Dynasty simply supported King Shin Don, it would be enough to cause turmoil in Goryeo.
After a long silence, Park Deok-hwan said in a trembling voice, "I, Park, can sign this treaty on behalf of the King of Goryeo. However, Yang Shaoqing must also agree on behalf of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty that the Ming Dynasty shall not support Shin Don in the future, nor interfere in the military and political affairs of Goryeo. Otherwise, I, Park, would rather die than sign this treaty."
Seeing the pained look on Park Deok-hwan's face, Magistrate Yang felt a pang of pity and then smiled and said, "Very well, I can grant your request on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty."
After Park Deok-hwan nodded, Magistrate Yang continued, "Actually, as I just said, this treaty is only beneficial to both the Ming Dynasty and Goryeo. After all, the Ming Dynasty is a land of etiquette and would never oppress the people of Goryeo."
Even Magistrate Yang himself felt awkward saying that.
There's a sense of déjà vu, as Chang Yuchun described, that the people of Ningyang County are all kind and good.
As Park Deok-hwan finished signing the treaty while shedding tears, Magistrate Yang stood up, put the treaty away, and said with a smile, "Now that this matter is settled, I will take my leave. I will send someone to invite you to my wedding banquet in a few days."
After saying this, Magistrate Yang hurriedly left with the four scholars.
They had only walked a short distance from the meeting hall when one of the four scholars, named He Huan, whispered, "Lord Yang..."
Magistrate Yang grunted in acknowledgment and asked, "What is it?"
He Huan hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "What happened today...is it...?"
Magistrate Yang suddenly stopped and turned to look at the four scholars, saying, "Do you think I'm going too far? Do you think Pu Dehuan is too pitiful?"
Seeing that the four scholars remained silent, Magistrate Yang didn't take it to heart and continued, "I'm just being too arrogant, so what?"
"But do you know why Mao Jujing and Po Tou Pan led the Red Turban Army to conquer Goryeo?"
"Because in the fourteenth year of the Zhizheng era, when Prime Minister Hu Yuan Tuotuo was campaigning against Zhang Shicheng, King Wang Zhuan of Goryeo sent Liu Zhai, Li Quan, and others with 23,000 men to assist in the battle. They called the Red Turban Army the Red Turban Bandits, and their many atrocities of burning and killing were even worse than those of the Tartars!"
At this point, Magistrate Yang glared fiercely at the four scholars and said in a deep voice, "You all need to remember this: now that the Ming Dynasty is strong, even a lowly official like me, who doesn't even have the qualifications to attend court and is only temporarily serving as the fifth-rank Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, can bully an envoy from a vassal state."
"What if the Ming Dynasty isn't strong enough?"
"Do other barbarian tribes also oppress you in this way?"
"I am paid by the Ming Dynasty, and I am paid by the people of the Ming Dynasty. I am responsible to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and to the people of the Ming Dynasty. I will bear any infamy or evil reputation. Even if I have to go to the eighteenth level of hell, I will accept it!"
"If you can't even handle this little thing today, you might as well get back to Ningyang County and go fix the roads!"
Magistrate Yang took a deep breath, turned around and walked forward, saying in a deep voice, "To the next one!"