the speech
"I ask those gathered here," his voice was not loud, but it was clear. It spread evenly to the far edges of the banquet hall.
"This is not a place where victory or defeat is decided. It is not a place to argue over who was right or who shed more blood." He paused for a moment to catch his breath.
"We have already lost too much. We have lost land, we have lost people, and most importantly, we have lost the belief that we can rise again."
There was a subtle stir among the noble lords. But Zhang Zhicheng did not avert his gaze.
"It is easy to say 'let us fight.' Anger always provides a justification. But what remains after the fight are only grudges that call for more war." He opened his hand, gesturing to the entire courtyard.
"This empire is not one nation. It is a federation of many nations, each ruled by different lords holding their own desires. In such a structure, the idea of uniting again by force is not reality, but fantasy."
The murmurs quieted down. He lowered his voice.
"But the choice still remains. To draw a line we will not cross and to establish an order where we do not destroy each other. The tripartite system is not a declaration of defeat. It is a decision to live the next hundred years, after acknowledging the reality."
He raised his head and looked toward the Great Khan.
"The reason the Great Khan opened this gathering is not to declare victory, but to see if the empire can still move with words."
He then looked at everyone again.
"Progress does not raise arms. But it supports the choice where arms are no longer needed. Please choose peace today. I am not asking you to lay down your anger, nor to forget your grudges. I am simply asking that you do not pass them on to the next generation."
A brief silence followed.
"This choice is not to save someone, but to ensure that none of us fall apart again."
Zhang Zhicheng bowed deeply.
"I, Zhenjin, will lend my strength to that path. So, I ask you to choose peace not because of this old sage's words, but because you see your own fears and responsibilities."
When his speech ended, the banquet hall was silent for a long time. In that silence, many realized for the first time that this was no longer a place for wine and meat, but a place where the empire was asking itself a question. And Park Seong-jin was quietly, deeply engraving that rhetoric in his mind.
When the governor of Shanxi stood up, the banquet hall held its breath once again. Shanxi was close to the roots of the Yuan Dynasty's administrative system. Its capital, Fengyuan, was today's Xi'an. It was a place that made the empire's claim to control the Central Plains credible. The governor of Shanxi was not a mere local official. He managed a vast land, including most of Shanxi, southern Inner Mongolia, southwestern Gansu, and northwestern Sichuan. He held key positions in the supply lines and military logistics. If there were still those who believed in the last form of centralization, he was the one at its center. When he stood up, the weight of his words was different.
"If we can stop now, I will support it," his voice was low but firm. "But can we really guarantee that Jin Wuliang will stop in the south?"
His gaze was fixed on Zhang Zhicheng.
The sage paused before answering, choosing his words carefully. It was not an easy question. It was a crossroads between belief, politics, and reality.
The silence was broken by Park Seong-jin.
"He will stop. They will!" It was a short but intense pause. The room held its breath, waiting for the next words.
"He has already stopped and is not advancing north. We all know this. Since the last war, he has not moved an inch."
The banquet hall stirred. The governor of Shanxi narrowed his eyes.
"How can you be so sure?"
The opponent was young—only a middle-ranking general. Yet no one dared to dismiss him easily.
Park Seong-jin answered calmly.
"From the very beginning, when the Great Khan commanded Goryeo to help him, conditions were set. Peace was the condition."
He emphasized the part about the Great Khan's command. It was not Goryeo acting on its own accord.
Park Seong-jin paused for a moment, then added,
"And he said if they did not, he would kill them."
The words were rough, raw for a banquet hall. Yet it did not feel awkward. The people in the room knew that these words matched Park Seong-jin's usual demeanor. He continued,
"If given the choice between death and peace, the choice is obvious. Jin Wuliang chose peace, and he is still honoring that."
The governor of Shanxi asked again,
"How can you trust him?"
Park Seong-jin replied,
"It is a country of trustworthy people, with reliable allies. We have fought together, and I know."
The governor of Shanxi asked more carefully,
"What if he does not?"
Though hypothetical, many in the room were already contemplating that 'what if.'
Park Seong-jin did not hesitate.
"Then we will support the southern Daehan." He paused and looked at the Goryeo king. His eyes silently asked, "Will you support this?"
For a moment, the face of the Goryeo king hardened. He did not answer. It was a statement about going to war against the empire.
Park Seong-jin did not wait for an answer and continued,
"Even if you do not, I will. I will help them."
He slowly surveyed the room. Each gaze fell, one by one, pressing down on them. It was an oppressive sight. Then he added his final words.
"I have never lost a battle. I am undefeated. Before the battle even begins, I have already swept away the enemy commanders and their staff. If the enemy commander is still alive after facing my forces, it is because I allowed it. They die first."
He added very calmly,
"I have the ability to do so."
The banquet hall fell into complete silence. His words were a warning to Jin Wuliang, and it felt like a warning to all the governors sitting at the table. Park Seong-jin did not hide what he was capable of.
It was then that Zhang Zhicheng quietly stepped forward.
"What my senior said is not a threat," he said, looking at the room, not at Park Seong-jin. And in front of everyone, he used the term "senior" again.
"He has simply not hidden the consequences of the choice."
Zhang Zhicheng softly concluded,
"So please, choose not to call for a fight here."
The banquet hall remained quiet. But in that quiet, many hearts had already begun to move.