I want to ruin the country

Li Cunxuan took Prince Gong and others on a pleasure boat to tour the Han River. They were having a great time writing and composing poems on the boat!

At noon, everyone set out their belongings, lit the charcoal fire and started to barbecue. You know what, the barbecue made by the Koreans was really good. Everyone had a great time eating, drinking and having fun.

Before they knew it, a day had passed and Prince Gong and Li Yuji reluctantly parted ways.

Li Cunxuan came to see Li Sheng.

Li Sheng asked about the day's situation and said,

"Your Excellency, it looks good, but will Prince Gong allow us to continue like this?"

Li Cunxuan said,

"This old minister reckons young people love to play. In a few days, when his mind is all on Yu Ji, we can have a showdown!"

Li Sheng said sadly,

"Is it okay to put all our hopes on Yuji?"

Li Cunxuan said,

"There's no other way. Otherwise, we have to take the money. Don't we have it?"

Li Sheng was silent!

Li Cunxuan arranged for someone to take Prince Gong, Li Yuji and others out for fun for three consecutive days.

These days, Li Yuji has been extremely attentive to Prince Gong.

Prince Gong liked her more and more!

However, there was no news from Li Sheng, and Prince Gong finally became anxious.

"Li Hongzhang, the Emperor is extremely worried. We can't just keep wasting time with them like this! They're not saying anything. They're just trying to trick us!"

Li Hongzhang laughed and said,

"Look, Prince Chen and Miss Yuji are so inseparable. Do you still remember why we are here?"

"Li Hongzhang, you're talking nonsense! It was you who told me to take advantage of her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the time to deal with her!"

Li Hongzhang did not dare to joke too deeply with Prince Gong, and said with a smile,

"Your Highness, there's no need to rush. Wouldn't it be nice to have your cake and eat it too?"

Prince Gong said,

"Of course, but if we can't even catch a single fish bone, we'll be in big trouble!"

Li Hongzhang said,

"Your Highness, I'll go find Li Sheng tomorrow and tell him we have something important to do and can't wait any longer. Let's see what he says!"

Prince Gong said,

"What if he still says he has no money?"

Li Hongzhang said,

"I don't think it's impossible. They can't live without us, so we have to give them something!"

Prince Gong slapped the table.

"Damn it, if you don't agree, I'll go talk to them!"

Li Hongzhang said,

"Your Highness, this is going to cost a lot of money. We can't rush into it. If we fall out, it won't look good on us!"

Prince Gong thought about it and said,

"Well, you control the heat, but don't embarrass the emperor!"

Li Hongzhang bowed and saluted.

"I know!"

The next day, Li Hongzhang came to see Li Sheng.

"Your Majesty, Prince Gong has been here for several days. I wonder how the money you raised is doing?"

Li Sheng hesitated!

Li Hongzhang's face darkened.

"Your Majesty, our Prince Gong did not come across the ocean to beg for food!

If you have different opinions on this matter, you can submit a report!

If there is no other intention, and you keep dragging it out like this, we can just go back and report to the Emperor!"

Li Sheng was anxious.

"Don't worry, Special Envoy Li, we have already raised some money, but time is tight, so it's not much!

Please ask Special Envoy Li to talk to Prince Gong. 20 million is too much. We really can't afford it!"

Li Hongzhang's face became even darker.

"Your Majesty, if you say you have no money, we believe you. But who would leave so much silver in the treasury that it would grow hair?

The money for our warship purchase was only secured by the Emperor through extraordinary means!"

Li Sheng said,

"Special Envoy Li, the imperial court is vast and rich in resources, so there must be some way. We are in a poor and remote area here, so it is really difficult!"

Li Hongzhang said,

"Please think about this, Your Majesty. During the Imjin War, your king was driven to Liaodong, and the entire country was occupied by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. How much money did the Japanese extort from you? Do you have any idea? Do you still remember?"

Who could forget such a great humiliation? Li Sheng clearly remembered that the wealth stolen by the Japanese on that occasion alone amounted to 200 million taels of silver.

This does not include the military expenditures during the six years of war and the roads, bridges, houses, ships, etc. destroyed by the Japanese.

The value of the people and livestock killed is inestimable!

Of course, the military expenses and all expenses of the Ming army are not included!

Seeing that he was silent, Li Hongzhang said again,

"The current emperor said that Japan is eyeing us covetously again. If we don't establish a joint fleet today, the tragedy of the Imjin War will be repeated in a few years.

We don’t care. The war will be fought here in your place. They can’t reach us anyway!

The dead are your people, and the destroyed are your homes. You should weigh the consequences yourself. Farewell!

After Li Hongzhang left, Li Sheng fell into deep thought for a long time.

He understood what Li Hongzhang said. He always thought positively before things happened. But it was also an indisputable fact that the Japanese people harassed and disrupted him every day!

If a few years really pass and the Japanese invade again, the Qing court will definitely not be able to defeat them on its own without the Qing court.

Just like Li Hongzhang said, even if the Daqing court sent troops, the war would still be fought on its own territory, and the ones who would suffer losses would still be its own beautiful land!

Although Li Sheng is young, he is not stupid. After thinking about it, he realized that there is really no other way except relying on the Daqing Emperor.

"Come here, invite the Prime Minister and the Left and Right Ministers to the meeting!"

When Li Cunxuan and his companions arrived, Li Sheng said,

"Prince Gong is anxious, what should we do?"

If Prince Gong really lost his temper, what would they do if they really couldn't bear his wrath? Li Sheng and Li Cunxuan argued for a whole day before finally reaching an agreement to form a joint fleet with Daqing.

But they really couldn't come up with that much money, so they could only beg the emperor to let them take a part first and give the rest slowly!

The next day, Li Cunxuan and the left and right councilors came to see Prince Gong.

"Your Highness, we absolutely agree with the Emperor's intention to establish a joint fleet, but we simply cannot come up with so much money. Please understand, Prince Gong!"

Prince Gong looked at Li Hongzhang and said,

"How much money can you come up with?"

"Uh, the most we can come up with is two million taels of silver!"

"Snapped!"

Prince Gong slammed the table.

"Haha, do you really think I'm a beggar?

"Alright, I don't want your money anymore. When I return, I'll pay several million of my own silver and that'll be considered my payment to the Emperor. We won't be involved in any future problems you have!"

Seeing Prince Gong getting anxious, Li Cunxuan and the others were stunned and said hurriedly,

"Don't worry, Your Highness. We didn't say we'd only take two million. We'll take two million first, and we'll slowly prepare the rest later!"

Prince Gong curled his lips and said,

"What a joke! Take your time! There's no such thing as taking your time in a war. If we go to buy warships but don't pay, will they build them for us?

The Emperor is so kind and considerate of you that he only asks you to pay one-third of the sixty warships. You won’t have to spend a penny to maintain the fleet in the future. Isn’t this a great thing?

Is this how you treat the Emperor's love for his child?"