Chapter 9

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Then send him to Taiwan.

Yohan met Emperor Yongwu of the Southern Ming Dynasty in a palace much smaller than Jeong Jiryong's mansion.

"You are Kim Yohan, aren't you? You have done a great service to my country."

Fortunately for Yohan, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, many formalities had disappeared.

Thus, Yohan could meet the emperor without much difficulty.

The emperor's first impression was that of a scholarly gentleman.

His skin was so fair that he gave an impression of being weak.

However, Emperor Yongwu was far from a weak person.

When Li Zicheng's rebellion broke out, he, as a member of the royal family, gathered an army and clashed with Li Zicheng's rebel forces.

"I merely did what I had to do."

"By proving that there is still hope for the Southern Ming, I will certainly reward you. What do you wish for?"

The emperor spoke as if he would give anything.

'Should I ask to be appointed as a governor?'

Yohan thought to himself.

Of course, it wasn't a sincere thought.

Being a governor, let alone a regional commander, was already a significant position.

Compared to his old rank as a brigade commander, even a battalion commander now was a considerable position.

In fact, Yohan had no intention of asking the emperor for anything.

"I merely did a trivial task. Capturing a few bandits and the leader of the Daluan is hardly a great achievement."

If he asked the emperor, he could probably get a fairly high position.

But Yohan realized that the relationship between Jeong Jiryong and the emperor was not as good as it seemed.

And as someone who had joined Jeong Jiryong's line, Yohan could not receive anything from the emperor.

"You are said to be far from modest. Indeed, you are one of the Grand Preceptor's men, aren't you?"

"I am a person who repays any favor I receive."

Yohan did not deny the emperor's words.

Jeong Jiryong's eyes and ears were likely present even here.

There were probably people loyal to Jeong Jiryong among the eunuchs guarding the emperor.

Thus, Yohan acted as if he were a loyal follower of Jeong Jiryong, even in front of the emperor.

Of course, he did not genuinely think he owed Jeong Jiryong any favors.

"I thought you would be the one to achieve the great cause of the northern campaign..."

"If Your Majesty issues an order, I will simply follow it."

The emperor sighed in frustration.

He knew better than anyone that Yohan's words about following an imperial order were meaningless.

Imperial order?

In this country, there was something that took precedence over the imperial order: Jeong Jiryong's word.

And Jeong Jiryong was not yet showing much interest in the northern campaign.

This was the reason why the relationship between Jeong Jiryong and the emperor had soured.

'Although I have joined Jeong Jiryong's line, it seems that the problem with this country lies with Jeong Jiryong.'

Unlike the first emperor of the Southern Ming, Emperor Hongguang, the second emperor, Emperor Yongwu, was a very capable and virtuous ruler.

If Emperor Yongwu could exercise imperial power without interference from others, the Southern Ming might have had a chance.

This made Yohan ponder.

Should he become a member of the loyalist faction and support the emperor?

If he joined the emperor's line, he could quickly rise to a position responsible for the military power of the loyalist faction.

However, Yohan had already decided to become the king of Taiwan.

Moreover, the poor emperor had no means to support Yohan.

Thus, Yohan had no choice but to side with Jeong Jiryong.

'Of course, how Jeong Jiryong treats me could change things.'

If Jeong Jiryong treated him carelessly or tried to control him because he thought Yohan had become too powerful, Yohan would not hesitate to side with the emperor.

"Today's conversation was enjoyable. By the way, can I call you again next time?"

"Of course."

How could he refuse if the emperor called him?

No, it was not a matter of testing the waters.

***

"Lord Nan'an is waiting for you, General."

After leaving the palace, Yohan immediately received a summons from Jeong Jiryong.

He had met the emperor and the highest authority figure in quick succession upon returning to Fuzhou.

This alone showed Yohan how his status had changed.

Of course, Jeong Jiryong's attitude towards Yohan did not change.

"Why didn't you come to me first when you arrived in Fuzhou? Where have you been running around?"

There was no reason for Jeong Jiryong to change his attitude just because Yohan had become a war hero.

Jeong Jiryong himself was the wealthiest and most powerful man in the country, and his brother, Jeong Jibong, held military power.

To Jeong Jiryong, a war hero was merely a somewhat famous chess piece.

"What could I do when the emperor summoned me?"

"That's the problem. Tsk, because of you, His Majesty is now considering the northern campaign. He already has an excessive interest in the military."

Yohan looked aggrieved.

'Why is it my fault?'

The emperor's interest in the northern campaign could not be solely attributed to Yohan.

However, Yohan's victory had indeed boosted the emperor's confidence in the northern campaign.

It had proven that the Qing's Banners were not invincible.

'Still, it seems Jeong Jiryong is not very interested in the northern campaign.'

If he were, he would not have neglected the military to this extent.

With his vast wealth, he could have tried to expand the military's size.

Jeong Jiryong's assets were astronomical, enough to raise an army of tens of thousands.

But he did not make significant investments in the military.

He was solely focused on increasing his wealth.

'If he has no intention of the northern campaign, that's actually good.'

Jeong Jiryong was, in a way, an easy person to understand.

As a merchant, he valued wealth above all else.

If he believed that occupying Taiwan would help increase his wealth, he would be willing to invest in it.

If he were a patriot, he would not have cared about controlling Taiwan.

"By the way, what did Lord Nan'an give you? The emperor said he would give you anything as a reward."

"Arrogant brat."

Jeong Jiryong laughed bitterly.

Since becoming the ruler of the South China Sea, no one had dared to act arrogantly in front of him.

Even the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen, would curse him as a pirate behind his back but would not dare to oppose him face-to-face.

Yet, Yohan, who had little wealth and was still young, acted arrogantly in front of him.

However, Jeong Jiryong did not find it rude; he found it intriguing.

He recognized Yohan's abilities.

"Didn't you gain quite a bit of spoils this time?"

When the topic of spoils came up, Yohan felt a twinge of unease.

He wondered if Jeong Jiryong knew about the hidden funds in Yugu Mountain.

Fortunately, Jeong Jiryong did not mention the hidden funds.

"You gained a considerable amount of silver and many prisoners. I'll give all of that to you. I originally planned to take half, but I'm showing you favor because of your great service."

"I am truly grateful for your kindness."

Yohan inwardly rolled his eyes.

He had not expected that asking for a reward would result in receiving the spoils he had already obtained.

Jeong Jiryong might be one of the richest men in China, perhaps even the world.

It would be hard to find anyone richer than him, except for emperors and kings.

Yet, his generosity did not seem to match his wealth.

'I'm glad I hid 7,000 taels.'

If Jeong Jiryong had known about the hidden funds, he would have certainly coveted them.

7,000 taels of silver was not a small amount.

"Your expression suggests you want more."

When Jeong Jiryong said this, Yohan spoke honestly.

"Money is one thing, but I want a higher position."

"A higher position, huh."

"To be honest, a capable person like me should command at least a thousand soldiers, right? For Lord Nan'an, for this country."

It was a bold statement.

But Jeong Jiryong did not deny it.

Of course, he did not agree to it outright.

"You're not wrong, but the Fifth Battalion has fewer than 500 soldiers. Even if I gave you command of the entire Fifth Battalion, you wouldn't be satisfied, would you?"

"Can't we expand the Fifth Battalion?"

"Why should I? Are you going to pay for the cost of purchasing more troops?"

"Me? I don't have that kind of money."

"Then don't say such things. I have no intention of expanding the Fifth Battalion."

From Jeong Jiryong's perspective, it was a reasonable stance.

The military was a non-productive consumer group.

Maintaining it required a huge amount of money, so there was no reason for Jeong Jiryong to expand the Black Guard.

"Then give me an official position. A position like a regional commander should be within your power to grant, right?"

"I don't want to give you an official position."

"Why not?"

When Yohan asked, bewildered, Jeong Jiryong replied with an annoyed expression.

"To be honest, you are a liability."

"Why am I a liability? Haven't I already proven my abilities?"

"Because of your abilities. If a capable person like you becomes the emperor's sword, the emperor might seriously consider the northern campaign. I don't want that."

Yohan was inwardly impressed by Jeong Jiryong's frankness.

This unadorned attitude seemed to symbolize his absolute power.

With Jeong Jiryong's level of power, there was no need to hide his true thoughts.

'But should I like this? It's good that he values me, but he's already trying to control me.'

Given the level of the Southern Ming's generals, Yohan's presence was undoubtedly significant.

Most of the famous generals from the Ming Dynasty were either dead or had surrendered to the Qing.

'So, this might be for the best. If he sees me as a liability, he might send me to a place where the emperor can't reach me, like Taiwan.'

"Then I have a good suggestion for Lord Nan'an. A win-win, a mutually beneficial solution."

"Hmm, what is it?"

Jeong Jiryong showed interest in Yohan's words.

"I will capture Luzon and make it your territory. Send me to Luzon."

"Luzon? Why do you suddenly want to capture it?"

"It's an island, but it's large enough to be a country. If we make it a territory, the profits will be substantial."

Yohan did not make grand claims.

He treated Jeong Jiryong as a merchant.

And there was nothing more convincing to a merchant than profit.

"Please invest 10,000 taels of silver. Lord Nan'an will gain a vast territory."

Yohan, who had defeated Li Zicheng's remnants and gained considerable spoils, still believed that more money was always better.

'Let's start with 10,000 taels of silver. Once we get the initial investment, the regret of the invested money will make further investments inevitable.'

If he could get 100,000 taels of silver, or even 500,000 taels, building a nation in Taiwan would not be difficult.

It would be possible to establish a maritime nation in Asia that no one could ignore.

Of course, convincing Jeong Jiryong would not be easy.

As expected, Jeong Jiryong laughed and said,

"Do you think I don't know that Luzon is vast? But it would take more than 10,000 taels to develop it. The Spanish didn't come to Luzon and leave empty-handed for no reason."

Taiwan was not the only target of external forces.

Spain, like the Netherlands, had also attempted to develop Taiwan during the same period.

However, Spain abandoned Taiwan after less than 20 years.

While the Dutch attacks were a factor, if occupying Taiwan had been beneficial, Spain would have tried to hold onto it.

Spain's abandonment of Taiwan might indicate that it was a valueless island.

But Yohan thought differently.

"The situation with Spain and us is different. Spain could only mobilize a few hundred people, but we can mobilize tens of thousands."

The population of Han Chinese (Chinese who had settled in Taiwan) was rapidly increasing.

As the war with the Qing continued, the number of immigrants would grow.

It might even reach the hundreds of thousands.

If this large population were to develop the swamps, Taiwan could become a fertile land.

'Of course, the problem is that Taiwan would become Chinese territory if that happens.'

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