440.What Had to Come Has Come,
The Yuan Court’s Reaction — What Had to Come Has Come, but the Calculation That the North Will Not Advance
Morning in Dadu was unusually cold.
A thin layer of snow had settled overnight, and icicles hung from the eaves of the palace.
Even before court convened, the air within the bureaucracy was already heavy.
The urgent reports that had arrived from the south the night before had robbed the ministers of sleep:
Zhu Yuanzhang captured.
Defeat at Poyang Lake.
Collapse of the Jiangnan front.
The imperial throne stood empty.
The ministers sat in their places, exchanging only glances.
No one spoke first.
At last, the Chief Councillor stepped forward.
His voice was low and dry.
“The board in Jiangnan has been overturned.”
With that single sentence, the balance of the court wavered.
Some swallowed hard; others clenched their hands inside their sleeves.
The Minister of War continued cautiously.
“Jin Youliang now holds the initiative.
Zhang Shicheng stands at his side.
And at the center of it all—Goryeo.”
The two syllables Goryeo lingered in the air.
The eyebrows of several elder ministers twitched almost imperceptibly.
A Hanlin scholar, head bowed, spoke.
“What was bound to come has come.
However… the blade has not yet turned north.”
The Chief Councillor’s gaze settled on him.
“Explain.”
The scholar drew a breath before answering.
“Goryeo is not a state that chases the spoils of war.
That is precisely why they supported Jin Youliang.
Jin Youliang seeks a tripartite balance and peace, not a northern campaign.
When Goryeo moves, justification and equilibrium always come first.”
A faint stir ran through the hall.
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The word balance was quietly repeated several times.
The Minister of War took up the thread.
“Goryeo has already stabilized Liaodong and taken Naha?u under its wing.
They stand to gain little from advancing north.”
Someone muttered under their breath.
“If they raise a blade to the north now, every axis will shake at once.”
The Chief Councillor did not miss the remark.
“Exactly.
Goryeo is not a blade that strikes the axis—it is the wedge that fixes it in place.”
At that, the shoulders of several ministers visibly relaxed.
Calculation overtook fear.
The Minister of Revenue spoke slowly.
“Jin Youliang must pacify Jiangnan.
Zhang Shicheng must secure his position.
Goryeo will try to maintain balance between them.”
The Chief Councillor nodded.
“Then the north will remain quiet for the time being.”
The words were close to a hope—the most moderate future the Yuan court desired.
The Minister of War added one final note.
“However… if we are the first to waver, that balance will not last.”
Silence fell once more over the court.
No one argued.
The Chief Councillor slowly returned to his seat and concluded.
“There is no need to move the army in haste.
Send envoys to sound out the situation.
We must receive a clear signal that Goryeo does not intend to turn north.
And do not forget to offer congratulations on the victory.”
At that, the ministers bowed in unison.
When court adjourned, they dispersed.
Dim sunlight filtered over the snow-covered palace.
More than one man repeated the same thought in his heart:
May Goryeo not raise its blade—at least not now.
That hope was born of fear, and the fear was shared by the entire court.
What had to come had come.
But as yet, no footsteps were heard coming from the north.
The Goryeo Court — News from Poyang Lake Arrives
Dawn in Gaegyeong still held the dark.
Before the drum tower struck its fifth beat, the sounds of officials’ footsteps were already gathering before the palace gate.
When the doors of the main hall opened, cold air swept inside.
The king sat in his place; the ministers stood in ordered ranks, steadying their breath.
That day, the court was quieter than usual.
A messenger entered.
The marks of a long ride were etched plainly on his body.
His robes were gray with dust, his breathing still uneven.
He prostrated himself respectfully and spoke—briefly, but with clarity.
“I report the outcome of the great battle at Poyang Lake.”
All eyes converged on a single point.
The king raised his hand, neither urging nor interrupting.
The messenger took another breath and continued.
“Zhu Yuanzhang has been captured alive.
Jin Youliang has seized the momentum, and Zhang Shicheng has joined him.”
At that moment, the air within the hall changed.
There was surprise, and there were eyes that immediately turned to calculation.
Someone unconsciously clenched a hand within a sleeve.
The Left State Councillor spoke first.
“Is this certain?”
Without lifting his head, the messenger answered.
“It is said that Middle Commander Park Seong-jin personally bound him on the command ship and brought him out.”
At the sound of that name, a faint ripple spread through the hall.
Only then did the king lift his head, just slightly.
“Our Goryeo forces?”
“They secured control of the overall situation and returned safely to Jin Youliang’s headquarters.”
A brief silence followed—less astonishment than a moment spent weighing the matter.
The Right State Councillor spoke quietly.
“One pillar of Jiangnan has fallen.”
The Minister of War continued.
“The Ming forces will no longer be able to hold.
Their front is likely to collapse into flight and surrender.”
The king neither nodded nor cut him off.
For a time, he simply looked down at the messenger.
Then he asked,
“And the Yuan’s movements?”
The messenger delivered the answer he had prepared.
“There is no report of troop movements yet.
The court is unsettled, but their first step appears to be probing through envoys.”
At that, the shoulders of several ministers visibly eased.
The king spoke in a low voice.
“That is the picture they desire most.”
The Left State Councillor bowed carefully.
“Your Majesty, the north seeks balance for now.”
The king slowly lowered his hand.
His voice was calm and decisive.
“Balance is what we sought as well.”
With that single line, the court’s stance was set.
There was no jubilation, no arrogance.
The king concluded,
“Record the victory at Poyang Lake without excess.
Send an envoy to Jin Youliang at once—use the language of alliance.
To the Yuan, send inquiries of well-being first.”
The ministers dispersed slowly.
As they left the hall, tension lingered on their faces more than excitement.
Someone thought silently:
Only now does it truly begin.
The waters of Poyang Lake had shaken Jiangnan,
and today, their aftershock was altering even the breath of the Goryeo court.
