My words, carefully crafted and dripping with persuasion, were buried under Dae Inseong's ridicule.
"Your words have merit. But does Baekje fail to read the flow of the world? Or rather, have you come merely to mock us?"
Dae Inseong and his ministers laughed at us, who could supposedly be called envoys of a nation.
"What do you mean by that?"
"An alliance, from ancient times, can only be formed when two nations are equal. How dare Baekje, which merely governs and controls the land of Mahan, claim to be an equal alliance with our Balhae? Just as Silla bowed its head and accepted Tang as its suzerain to gain an alliance, Baekje too should come bowing its head to our Balhae."
I almost burst out laughing at the absurdity.
This bastard Dae Inseong is bluffing.
I understood why. The less you have, the more you need to appear to have. The Khitan, who were once subordinate to Goguryeo and received favors from Balhae, dared to betray that kindness and invaded and seized Liaodong.
Their pride had been properly crushed, so they wanted to salvage some self-respect from Baekje, whose territory was much smaller than Balhae's.
But here's the thing.
I couldn't just let them win. Flattering them here wouldn't help Balhae defeat the Khitan anyway.
"Your Highness. For now, it would be better to bow our heads."
Choi Seung-woo favored bowing our heads, but I had no such intention.
"This is truly regrettable, Khagan."
"What?"
"I seem to have taken a wrong step. Perhaps I should have gone to the Khitan instead."
"Are you mocking me now?"
Mock you or whatever. Even if you cut off my head, I won't die.
If it comes to that, I can just abandon Choi Seung-woo, who is now Left Minister, and flee.
Well, if Dae Inseong turns out to be that petty, the alliance wouldn't be worth forming anyway.
"Isn't the Khagan mocking Baekje right now? Did you speak of an equal relationship? How can Balhae, the successor of Goguryeo, treat its brother nation Baekje with contempt? The treacherous Kim Chun-chu of Silla elevated Tang, with whom he shared not a drop of blood—those Xianbei people—as his suzerain, but Goguryeo and Baekje were brother nations. How can there be a master-servant relationship between brothers? Even if we concede a hundred times and New Baekje acknowledges Balhae as an elder brother nation out of fraternal duty, we cannot elevate you as a suzerain like the relationship between Silla and Tang."
"You speak well."
"And are you in a position to treat envoys from your younger brother nation this way? The Khagan should know this as well. Our nation Baekje has abundant and fertile plains in the south. Naturally, the five grains are plentiful and military provisions overflow. If we supply these provisions to the Khitan, could Balhae withstand it?"
When it comes to bluffing, I don't lose either.
I'm someone who lived by bluffing in my previous life. Take away the bluffing and I'm a corpse.
"The Baekje envoy is rude! Before whom do you spout such nonsense?"
An old minister who appeared to be the prime minister didn't say anything to his master who started the quarrel first, but reprimanded me instead.
"Wang Geon's Goryeo has already had its spirit broken by the defeat at the Battle of Daeyaseong and doesn't dare raise an army, and there's no need to even mention Silla. No matter how much we are a small nation compared to Balhae, if we raise a great army to aid the Khitan, could Balhae withstand it? I came today to have an audience with Balhae's Khagan, but found only a mere Mohe chieftain. Not a three-legged crow but just a common crow."
"This... this man! Khagan! You must execute this Baekje prince at once!"
"Pu... Puhahahaha!"
Dae Inseong rose from his throne and laughed. Not the laugh of a monarch whose nation was declining, but a very hearty and bold laugh.
The laugh of a great man.
"Let all civil and military officials hear. The prince Buyeo Geumgang of our brother nation Baekje has come to form an alliance against the enemies—how can this not be a joyous occasion? Today, I myself shall hold a great banquet to entertain the Baekje envoys!"
And so Dae Inseong suddenly held a banquet.
It seems Dae Inseong quite appreciated my audacious words.
Seeing how he kept me right beside him at the banquet, the answer was clear.
"I'll answer directly."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Right now, Liaodong is urgently falling into Khitan hands, and the Heishui Mohe dare to rebel against me, Dae Inseong, forcing me to send other Mohe tribes to subjugate them. An alliance against the enemies? Does this make sense?"
A somewhat blunt answer.
I had expected this somewhat. Judging by the deep worry in Dae Inseong's eyes, he too knew that an alliance against enemies was impossible until the Khitan were defeated.
"How could it be impossible?"
"Hmm?"
"In place of Balhae, which has lost the sea, our nation will send a navy to strike the Khitan from behind. The Khitan aren't fools—would they target Balhae while leaving the Baekje army attacking from behind?"
Even a small army roaming around Liaodong would be troublesome for the Khitan.
Moreover, Baekje's army is currently organized with cavalry at its core.
Surprisingly, among the Later Three Kingdoms, the nation with the strongest cavalry was Later Baekje.
That's all thanks to Gyeon Hwon. Anyway, with sufficient mobility, we should be able to strike the Khitan from behind.
"Tell me what Baekje wants."
"Please help Baekje restrain the Wang clan's nation that pretends to be Goryeo."
"I'll try to send Sumal-bu Mohe troops to prevent Goryeo from advancing south. I can't send the central army—they must go to Buyeo-bu."
Sumal-bu—is that one of the Mohe tribes?
Come to think of it, there was a theory that Dae Jo-yeong, founder of Balhae, was from the Sumal Mohe. Among the theories for Balhae's fall was conflict between Mohe and Goguryeo people.
Since the Mohe were the ruled class, seeing Mohe and Goguryeo people mingling together here in Sanggyeong Yongcheon-bu makes that internal conflict theory less credible.
Well, there is internal conflict. I hear the Heishui Mohe are causing trouble everywhere. There are movements to mobilize other Mohe tribes to subjugate them.
Sumal-bu might be directly under the Balhae royal family. Seeing how they can mobilize Sumal-bu suggests this.
"Also, Your Majesty. Though I'm an outsider being presumptuous, may I offer one suggestion?"
"Speak."
"You must consider the case where Buyeo-bu falls. If Buyeo-bu falls, it's a direct route to Sanggyeong. It means a very solid route of advance will open up."
As soon as Buyeo-bu fell, Balhae was destroyed by a direct Khitan assault on the capital.
If Dae Inseong had quickly relocated the capital, or at minimum built fortresses between Buyeo-bu and Sanggyeong, would they have been pushed back so easily?
They say there was internal conflict, but seeing how they held out at Buyeo-bu, it must have been a winnable war.
"Indeed."
Dae Inseong gently stroked his beard as if pondering something.
"Prince Geumgang's words are correct. Khagan, you should either relocate the capital to Seogyeong Amnok-bu until the Khitan are defeated, or else build fortresses."
"It's certainly worth considering."
Surprisingly, he understands quickly. Being this kind of monarch, it makes sense he tried to fight the Khitan.
Judging by the court atmosphere, the power struggles among the ruling class seem to have ended.
I can only hope that today's meeting between Dae Inseong and me prevents Balhae's destruction.
"Will you form the alliance against enemies?"
"No, we won't form an alliance against enemies."
"What?"
He's backing out now?
"Originally, our founding king gave our nation the name Jin. Since that man Wang Geon is already officially using the name Goryeo, I, as Khagan of Jin, will form an alliance with Baekje."
That's right. Though Balhae was called Goryeo, the official name wasn't actually Goryeo. The official name was the State of Jin.
It was later called Balhae, and it was Japan that treated the Balhae Dae clan as kings of Goryeo.
"Baekje-Jin alliance, Jin-Baekje alliance. The sound is strange."
"The Central Plains have fallen into chaos. The Khitan have risen, and in the south, Wang Geon's Goryeo has emerged. If our nation wants to inherit the name of old Goryeo, we just need to destroy the Khitan and Wang's Goryeo in the south. I'm not particularly fond of the name Balhae, which merely derives from a place name."
"Then let's officially exchange state documents."
Better to finish this quickly.
"There's something we need to clarify first."
"What is it?"
"As I said, we're facing the Khitan at Buyeo-bu. We couldn't have received envoys in the Amnok River region if we didn't have a navy."
They say half the Amnok River region is already Khitan territory. This is really serious. Balhae's territory has been nearly halved.
"Is that so?"
"We'll send Sumal-bu to create a sense of crisis on Goryeo's border, but it will only be a few thousand men."
Even that is a significant concession given Balhae's current situation.
Having just lost Liaodong, when they need support, sending thousands of soldiers to create tension in Goryeo's north—this is by no means bad.
Rather, Dae Inseong is betting the nation's fate on forming this alliance with us. Think about it.
An alliance with Later Baekje, with whom they have no connection whatsoever, unlike Goryeo. Perhaps Dae Inseong is grasping at straws.
"This alliance alone will make Goryeo feel threatened."
"Once we defeat the Khitan, we can send tens of thousands of troops to Pyongyang."
Then there's nothing bad about it.
If Balhae just recovers Liaodong and sends elite troops south, nothing would be impossible.
"Then should we view the alliance between Baekje and Jin as an offensive and defensive alliance?"
"Let me ask Prince Geumgang. How far are you thinking?"
"We must destroy Wang's Goryeo to restore the glory of old Hanseong Baekje, and sweep away all the Silla remnants, mustn't we?"
If Baekje unifies, that's what must happen.
First, Silla is our mortal enemy. That trash Kim Chun-chu submitted to Tang, elevated Tang as suzerain, and brought humiliation to King Uija.
Though King Uija ruined things at the end, Gyeon Hwon rose up claiming to avenge that King Uija, so to gain legitimacy, he must be captured.
"So you'll maintain the current border between Goryeo and our Balhae?"
"If possible, yes. A northern and southern state system of Baekje and Jin will be formed."
"What about Pyongyang?"
"Pyongyang was originally Goguryeo's land. If you wish, I can offer up to Pyongyang in exchange for military cooperation when defeating Wang's Goryeo."
The one surprised by my words was actually Choi Seung-woo.
He didn't expect me to offer up Pyongyang.
"Hmm. Something to consider. Let's enjoy the banquet today."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Dae Inseong smiled with satisfaction and enjoyed the banquet with us.
After the banquet, Dae Inseong said he would generously host the Baekje envoys and provided us with large quarters.
Pleased with Dae Inseong's hospitality, I was about to retire early when Choi Seung-woo came to see me.
"Prince Geumgang. I wonder if we're giving too much to them."
"You mean Pyongyang?"
"Still, shouldn't we secure territory at least as large as Silla before it was divided? Giving up Pyongyang seems too much."
"It can't be helped. Isn't Pyongyang the sacred site of old Goguryeo? Naturally, it should return to its original owner. And would Dae Inseong even try to take Pyongyang? He barely has the capacity to re-conquer Liaodong."
The endless war with the Khitan continued.
Right now, Balhae lacks the strength to take and govern Pyongyang.
Recovering Liaodong would be the most they could do. Moreover, with internal problems and various other issues, the situation is difficult.
If I had seriously refused to give up Pyongyang, Dae Inseong would have been quite disappointed.
He probably knows too. That regardless of whether our demand for Pyongyang is legitimate, it's impossible with Balhae's current national capacity.
"If that's the case."
"It's just words. That way Dae Inseong will be pleased and dispatch Sumal-bu, won't he?"
"What are your intentions regarding the Khitan? The situation has grown too large."
The situation has indeed grown far too large. If Baekje unifies the Three Kingdoms and Balhae falls to the Khitan as in actual history, only Baekje, which supported Balhae, would be in trouble.
Ah, of course I can flee.
Not that I want to, but I mean it wouldn't matter. It's a parallel world anyway, and that damned goddess's gambling table.
What does it matter if it falls?
Comforting myself with that thought, I casually threw out words to Choi Seung-woo as a joke.
"Should we try establishing connections with the Khitan too?"
"The Khagan's wrath would be tremendous. Hehehe."
It's a joke. Even I have some sense of tact. Having already chosen Balhae, it would be difficult to establish connections with the Khitan.
Then I need to examine Balhae's current military situation.
When the Khitan invaded Balhae, they mobilized 200,000 troops. With Balhae having lost Liaodong, their national strength has significantly declined.
Can they match Goguryeo's military power?
For now, investigating the situation in Sanggyeong Yongcheon-bu is one method.