The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 302

Divine Doctor of Primordial Demise (302)

No matter how highly one might regard Ning Somil, broaching such a subject was beyond the pale for a mere subject.

He had crossed a line, venturing far beyond what was acceptable.

As expected.

Immediately, the Minister of War and other court officials rose in protest.

“Your Majesty! This is utterly preposterous!”

Faced with the chorus of objections from officials of all ranks, each voicing their reasons, the Emperor’s thoughts took a different turn.

Someone like Ning Somil would surely have anticipated such opposition.

“Enough.”

The Emperor raised his hand, silencing the officials.

Then, with an intrigued gaze, he fixed his eyes on Ning Somil.

“What is your reason for saying this?”

“It is precisely to subjugate the Blood Cloud Squad.”

“The Blood Cloud Squad?”

Ning Somil began his persuasion in earnest.

“They are cunning and swift, making complete subjugation impossible until now. The moment the army moves, they simply vanish. Though they may seem like mere bandits now, they have the potential to become the vanguard of the northern barbarians at any time. No one knows the weaknesses of the Great Wall and the invasion routes as well as they do. Unless we thoroughly eradicate these future threats, the safety of the realm will always be in peril.”

“Are you saying that if you can freely pass through Jiayu Pass [a strategic pass in the Great Wall], you can deal with them?”

“I will use martial artists connected to the Shinma Merchant Guild to ensure success.”

“So, you mean that soldiers are not needed from the start?”

“Yes. This is something that must be done in the name of the Shinma Merchant Guild.”

“Why is that?”

“I cannot allow the Emperor’s name to be tarnished. By limiting this to the affairs of martial artists, we will bear the full responsibility even if we fail.”

From the Emperor’s perspective, this was an appealing proposition.

It was then.

“Your Majesty, I, Minister of Revenue Yang So, dare to offer a word; please grant me permission.”

The Emperor nodded, and the Minister of Revenue earnestly offered his advice.

“This is unprecedented and unfair. How can you grant such privileges to only one merchant guild? Subjugating the Blood Cloud Squad is too important to be entrusted to a mere merchant guild.”

Instead of answering, the Emperor looked at Ning Somil.

Puzzlement flickered in Ning Somil’s eyes.

The one opposing him was the head of the Ministry of Revenue, responsible for the court’s finances.

He had heard that he was aligned with the Ministry of Personnel, which supported him.

But he couldn’t afford to be flustered in front of the Emperor.

Ning Somil coldly retorted.

“Then why don’t you do it yourself?”

“What?”

Yang So was taken aback, not expecting a mere Censor to be so arrogant and disrespectful.

Not missing the opportunity, Ning Somil pressed him.

“If you had the ability, you should have stepped up to solve it long ago. Knowing the importance of the matter and not acting is disloyal to His Majesty, is it not?”

“H, how dare you!”

The Minister of Revenue’s face turned red, unable to continue.

Conversely, a faint smile, barely visible, appeared on the Emperor’s face as he alternated his gaze between the relaxed Ning Somil and the flustered Minister of Revenue.

“You must have something you want from this, Shinma Merchant Guild? Tell me what you desire. Is it the monopoly of trade rights?”

If the Shinma Merchant Guild could freely pass through Jiayu Pass, trade with the Western Regions would become more active.

In the end, it would be no different from reopening the Silk Road, which had been closed.

But Ning Somil said something unexpected.

“If trade becomes free, the Shinma Merchant Guild will certainly gain great benefits. But this is only a stepping stone for a larger plan, not a request to grant a monopoly to a single merchant guild.”

“A larger plan?”

For the Emperor, this was an irresistible prospect coming from Ning Somil’s mouth.

“If trade with the Western Regions is 활성화되면 [activated/flourishing], we can abolish the unreasonable tributary trade.”

Ning Somil’s logic was simple.

If the protection, relay stations, storage, and transportation of goods needed for trade were handled by the northern barbarians, they would also benefit.

From their perspective, there would be no need to cling to humiliating tributary trade [trade conducted as a sign of submission to the Chinese empire].

Conversely, the court would have no reason to continue the tributary trade at a loss.

Furthermore, tribes that participated in the trade process and gained stable profits would naturally conflict with those that did not, preventing them from uniting into a single force.

“If we integrate the merchant guilds and friendly tribes and bring them into the court’s sphere of influence, they will actively restrain other tribes from crossing the Great Wall for their own benefit in the future.”

“Indeed. A strategy of using barbarians to control barbarians by exploiting their greed?”

As the Emperor exclaimed, officials from the Ministry of Justice immediately opposed.

“Your Majesty, you must not allow it. According to that logic, you are allowing a single merchant guild to privately build power beyond the Great Wall. Even if we suffer immediate losses, governing them through tributary trade is the right way and can prevent future problems.”

Ning Somil countered.

“Please listen to what people have to say until the end.”

In fact, the only person Ning Somil was trying to persuade in this place was the Emperor.

He did not care about any other civil or military officials, even if they were prime ministers.

“I plan to raise friendly forces and have the court manage them directly.”

“But we cannot leave such a precedent…….”

“There is already a precedent, isn’t there?”

“……?”

“We will start with a cooperative relationship for mutual benefit, but eventually, it will take a form like the Jianzhou Guard established in the Jurchen region.”

At those words, the opposing officials were startled, and the Emperor smiled with satisfaction.

He finally understood what Ning Somil intended.

Mongols and Jurchens.

The court, which pursued a policy of appeasing the nomadic tribes threatening the north, had been managing a separate army not included in the regular army.

That was the Northern Army, composed of incorporated barbarians, called Jimiso (羈縻衛所) [literally ‘bridle and halter garrison’; a type of administrative division used by Chinese dynasties to govern semi-independent ethnic minorities].

The purpose was to subjugate them, incorporate them into a separate Weiso system [military colonies], and promote the defense of the north.

Outer Weiso (外夷衛所) not subordinate to the court.

It was clear that he intended to raise such an irregular army to strengthen the defense of the north.

The benefits that the imperial family and the court would gain simply by allowing free passage through Jiayu Pass were considerable.

By distributing the profits earned by the merchant guild to friendly barbarians, there was no need to endure losses through tributary trade, and this could cause conflict between tribes.

Furthermore, without deploying a separate army, a primary defense force could be stationed beyond the Great Wall.

In addition, Western merchants would naturally flow in, following the merchant guild.

The massive tax revenue that would pour in through the entertainment facilities in Wuwei, which had been permitted a while ago, would make securing tax revenue even easier.

From the Emperor’s perspective, there was no reason not to allow it.

Still, there were definitely points to address.

“Is there no possibility that it could become a double-edged sword and threaten my realm?”

It was a question of whether the profits gained through trade might inadvertently strengthen the power of the northern barbarians, threatening the Central Plains.

But Ning Somil had already prepared an answer in case of such a situation.

“Then we can simply close Jiayu Pass again.”

The Emperor nodded at the bold but clear answer.

“Good. A simple but truly remarkable plan. But the Minister of Revenue’s opinion also has merit. If we grant privileges only to the Shinma Merchant Guild, the numerous merchant guilds that have supported the Central Plains will be dissatisfied. This violates the fairness that I pursue.”

Ning Somil inwardly rejoiced.

“I only follow Your Majesty’s will. Just grant the Shinma Merchant Guild the authority to freely enter and exit Jiayu Pass.”

“Does that mean you are not afraid of competition with other merchant guilds?”

“I will gladly endure it because I dare to boast that the Shinma Merchant Guild is the only one that is wholeheartedly loyal to Your Majesty.”

Ning Somil drove in the wedge.

“I am only a subject of Your Majesty, no longer the head of the Shinma Merchant Guild. Please know that the plan I proposed is also an expression of loyalty to Your Majesty.”

The Emperor chuckled at the flattering words.

But he didn’t care much.

When moving rice cakes, some soybean flour is bound to get on your hands [idiom: some collateral damage is inevitable].

The Emperor asked the Minister of War and the Minister of Revenue.

“Do you have any other opinions? Or is there anyone who can present an opinion that surpasses the plan presented by the 충정교위 [Chongjing Gyowi – a military rank]? Speak. I will listen.”

“…….”

The Emperor smiled bitterly at the sight of the high and low officials looking at each other and remaining silent.

“I hope you will think once again about the value of the stipends you receive.”

Having indirectly rebuked them in that way, the Emperor nodded to Ning Somil.

“I grant it.”

* * *

As dusk fell and darkness began to settle.

There was still half a 시진 [sijin – approximately one hour] left before he had to leave the palace, but the Minister of Revenue hurriedly left the palace.

As soon as he arrived at his house near Beijing, he hastily took off his official robes.

Instead, he disguised himself with old plain clothes and a conical hat and hurried outside.

Avoiding the eyes of others, he moved to a secluded alley for a while.

Arriving at a shabby house in the outskirts, he went straight into a secret room inside.

A middle-aged man in Chinese clothes, who had arrived earlier and was waiting for him, quickly got up and greeted him.

“Have you arrived?”

“I’m sorry. I hurried because I thought you would be waiting, but I’m a bit late.”

“It’s alright.”

The middle-aged man in Chinese clothes smiled and shook his head, then cautiously opened his mouth.

“By the way, what was the result of today’s meeting presided over by His Majesty?”

“Hmm…….”

Yang So groaned at the question from Geum Daeryong, the owner of the Geumryong Merchant Guild, the undisputed top merchant guild in the Central Plains, and known as the wealthiest man since Seok Chung, possessing the most immense wealth.

Geum Daeryong’s eyes wavered at his uneasy expression.

“Could it be……?”

“His Majesty has granted it.”

“……!”

“That fellow’s three-inch tongue is truly terrifying. Along with the Ministry of War, I did my best to express my opposition, but…….”

“Did the great Minister, who is admired by all, also have something to fear?”

Yang So paused, having hastily made excuses.

“Didn’t you say that you could stop it sufficiently?”

As Yang So closed his mouth with a shameful expression, Geum Daeryong let out a heavy sigh.

There was no one in this industry who didn’t know that the Shinma Merchant Guild had built its business foundation through smuggling.

But with this, the Shinma Merchant Guild had officially obtained trade rights with the Western Regions.

It was obvious that they would gain immense profits.

Especially since the Shinma Merchant Guild had been growing rapidly recently, rising to his heels.

At this rate, he might be overtaken at any time.

He knew better than anyone the ripple effect of overseas trade, just by looking at the example of his predecessors who had built the current Geumryong Merchant Guild based on their connections with the government during Jeonghwa’s great expedition [Zheng He’s voyages, early Ming dynasty].

‘At this rate…….’

Geum Daeryong could not suppress the creeping anxiety.

How much money had he poured into the court officials to keep the Shinma Merchant Guild in check until now?

Yet, he could not shake off the Shinma Merchant Guild, which was gradually encroaching on their commercial rights.

He had to make a decision before it was too late.

“If you can’t change the flow, you have no choice but to ride it…….”

Yang So hesitated at Geum Daeryong’s unusual atmosphere.

“What do you mean?”

“I am a merchant.”

Yang So’s heart sank at Geum Daeryong’s words.

“It means that I will not hesitate to do anything that is profitable.”

“……!”