Park Geun-su submitted only the titles of the matters he had organized.
I. The survival of Liao and Jin's growing advantage.
II. The possibility of Song intervention and the question of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.
III. Whether Goryeo should declare war and dispatch troops.
IV. The redefinition of relations between Jin and Goryeo after the Nine Fortresses.
V. The postwar order in Liaodong and the extent of Goryeo's influence.
VI. The conditions of a formal covenant with Jin and the means of guaranteeing it.
VII. The true state of preparations for a distant campaign, including cavalry horses, provisions, and military equipment.
VIII. The consequences of delaying deployment or refusing to deploy altogether.
Not one of them was a minor matter.
They had known that a day like this would come and had discussed these issues in advance, yet most remained unresolved.
That was how sensitive they were.
There were many who opposed action.
The affairs of an old state usually moved through the strength of those who preferred familiar methods. The kingdom had survived by following the ways it already knew, and many saw little reason to overturn that order.
Some also wondered whether it was truly necessary to worry about a future that had yet to arrive and change the direction of the entire realm because of it.
This matter, however, could not be passed over through habit alone.
Jin was shaking the foundations of Liao, and the balance of power in Liaodong was changing by the day.
Remaining still in the belief that inaction meant safety was also a choice.
And that choice would carry a price.
First, could Liao truly endure?
Liao was still an enormous empire with vast numbers of soldiers and tribes at its disposal.
Yet its authority had been shaken by consecutive defeats at Yeonggang Prefecture, Chuhajeom, and Huanglong Prefecture.
Goryeo needed to look beyond the sheer size of Liao and ask whether the empire still possessed the strength to move that enormous body.
Second, could Jin truly become the master of a new order?
Jin was winning, but it was still a newly founded state.
Could it transform tribal strength into an empire?
Could it replace the customs of plunder with the institutions of government?
Could it hold together the many groups that had submitted to it?
A nation sustained by strength alone soon collapsed. History had shown that much.
If Goryeo aided Jin, it would not merely be helping one side in a war.
It would be lending its strength to the birth of a new empire.
Third, would Song move?
If Song pressed Liao from the south, Liao would be forced to divide its forces.
Yet even as Song coveted the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, it feared the danger of breaking its existing relationship with Liao.
If Song moved, Liao's destruction would come more quickly.
If Song hesitated, Jin and Goryeo would bear a greater burden.
Perhaps Song was the most frightened of all.
It wished only for nothing to happen and survived by paying enormous annual tribute to Liao.
Fourth, did Goryeo have reason to send troops?
If Goryeo entered the war, it could place Jin in its debt and gain the standing to speak on the postwar future of Liaodong.
If Goryeo remained still, it could avoid the immediate burden.
Yet once Jin destroyed Liao alone, Goryeo might find itself pushed far from the table where the new order would be decided.
To move was dangerous.
To remain still was also dangerous.
Fifth, how should relations be reorganized after the return of the Nine Fortresses?
Returning the Nine Fortresses had not been a simple concession. It had been the first step toward a new relationship between Jin and Goryeo.
The question now was what would come next.
Would Goryeo become Jin's patron?
Would the two become brother states?
Or would Goryeo withdraw and remain a mere neighbor?
Someone had even argued that the two should unite, claiming that in ancient times they had once been one people.
Sixth, who would rule Liaodong?
Once Liao withdrew, Liaodong would not become empty land.
Jin might seize it. Balhae-descended powers might rise. Goryeo might expand its influence. Song might intervene through diplomacy.
If Goryeo failed to take part in the present negotiations, its standing to speak on the postwar order of Liaodong would also weaken.
Seventh, could Jin be trusted?
Jin was asking for help now, but after destroying Liao it might become an even greater power.
Today's ally might become tomorrow's source of pressure.
For that reason, Goryeo could not aid Jin out of sentiment alone.
It had to bind Jin through a formal covenant, written agreements, marriage, military cooperation, hostages, or trade conditions.
Eighth, was the Goryeo army truly prepared to move?
A declaration of war alone might have an effect, but the moment troops crossed the border, actual combat became possible.
Cavalry horses, provisions, weapons, armor, relay stations, command structure, and supply routes all had to be examined.
If Goryeo moved on the strength of its justification alone, its own army could be placed in danger.
As the king read the agenda Park Geun-su had submitted, Park lowered his head and stared at the floor.
No one spoke.
The moment anyone offered a single opinion, dozens of objections would rain down like arrows.
The king turned toward Park Geun-su.
"Bring the envoy here while we continue our discussions."
"Your command."
Park Geun-su completed his report and rose from his seat.
His heart, however, was uneasy.
It felt as though he were being removed from the very discussion in which he most needed to take part.
In matters such as this, the final decision usually leaned toward caution.
Those who remained would first rely upon familiar procedures and old precedents. They would view the burden before their eyes as greater than a danger that had yet to arrive.
One decision called forth another.
Whether Goryeo sent troops would determine the standing of the proposed covenant.
The standing of that covenant would affect relations after the Nine Fortresses and the question of Liaodong.
None of these issues could be separated from the others.
If one was pushed aside, the rest would shift with it.
That was why Park Geun-su believed he needed to remain in the room.
At the very least, he had to explain how the matters were connected.
Was the order to bring the envoy merely an excuse to send him outside?
The thought made his steps heavy.
What worried him most was the possibility that the established powers would argue for doing nothing and simply waiting.
Remain still.
Hold their breath.
Watch how events unfolded.
In truth, it was little more than a hope that nothing would happen at all.
Too many decisions had been made in precisely that fashion.
The world as it stood was already good enough for them.
They possessed their offices, wealth, and justification. They saw little reason to choose a path that might disturb any of it.
Change frightened those with much to lose before it frightened those with little.
And so they hesitated in the name of prudence, delayed in the name of procedure, and passed today's decision into tomorrow under the name of precedent.
Yet doing nothing was also a choice.
It was quieter than drawing a sword and appeared more dignified than issuing an order.
But within that quiet, opportunity passed.
Before long, an order decided by others would arrive at one's own gates.
Could a man truly say that he bore no responsibility simply because he had refused to decide?
Someone would eventually have to bear the responsibility for indecision as well.
Faced with that merciless truth, people wished to turn away.
For the moment, it always seemed the easier road.
Less than an hour later, Park Geun-su returned.
At the sight of him, unease flickered across O Geolmae's face.
The agenda had already been submitted.
The court should still have been debating it.
Yet they had already sent someone for him.
A decision reached this quickly was usually a rejection.
That was exactly what troubled O Geolmae.
"Did the discussion go well?"
Park Geun-su offered the proper courtesy before answering.
"I submitted the main points, and His Majesty ordered me to bring the envoy before him."
O Geolmae let out a quiet breath.
"Hmm. Then there seems to be little hope."
"I am troubled because it felt as though they deliberately sent me out of the room."
"So it will be easy for them to reach a decision against us."
Park Geun-su answered almost as though protesting.
"Even if that should happen, please believe that my own wishes are not aligned with such a decision."