Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 211 Celebrating Victory, Distributing Silla Maids!

"kill!"

Pu Xianwannu also roared, pointing his iron mace forward, and the Dongzhen army charged straight at him!

The two sides had roughly the same number of people, around two thousand each. Their armor was also similar, both being iron armor, with many wearing double layers.

The two sides were roughly equal in strength; one side was the most elite Yebiecho of Goryeo, and the other was the Imperial Guard of Dongjin.

Shouts and screams filled the air, and blood and flesh flew everywhere!
In less than half an hour, nearly half of the casualties had been suffered!
At the same time, the shouts of battle were getting closer and closer to the direction of the palace!
How come the Mongols arrived so quickly?

However, upon closer reflection, it's not surprising. Their original plan was to organize a half-hour street battle and then escape through a secret passage.

Now that both Cui Yu and Pu Xianwannu have entered the palace ahead of time, and their generals can't find them after the city falls, don't they understand that these two probably have ways to escape?

With morale so low, how long can they hold out?
I'm afraid the Mongols will soon storm the palace!

"We can't keep fighting like this! Emperor Dongzhen, we can't keep fighting like this!" Cui Yu suddenly shouted, "If we continue like this, we'll all be dead. Wouldn't that just be letting the Mongols win?"

Pu Xianwannu said in a deep voice, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Let's go together! There are enough people left to board the ship!"

In truth, this is an unspoken understanding. Both sides have their own ulterior motives, resulting in a stalemate where neither can leave.

The best solution is to turn enemies into friends and retreat together.

However, the ship couldn't hold that many people. Which soldiers should be left behind? Neither Cui Yu nor Pu Xianwannu believed that half of the remaining soldiers would obey their orders without question.

It seems inevitable that a mutiny would break out on the spot.

Now that most of the people are dead, things are easier to discuss.

However, there is one more thing that needs to be dealt with before making peace.

"What should we do about Jin Ruoxian?" Pu Xianwannu asked.

"Emperor Dongzhen, you can be my witness."

Cui Yu turned around, beckoned to his daughter Cui Ru, and said, "Ru'er, come here."

"No... I won't go."

Cui Ru trembled with fear, her face deathly pale, and she retreated repeatedly, saying, "Father, I know I was wrong! I will never dare to do it again! Please forgive me... please forgive me this time!"

However, she had no say in the matter.

Cui Yu gave a signal, and two armored soldiers brought her to Cui Yu's presence.

"Ru'er, be more careful in your next life!"

puff!
Cui Yu plunged his sword directly into Cui Ru's lower abdomen, the blade emerging through her back!

Boom!
Cui Yu kicked Cui Ru to the ground.

Then, Cui Yu, holding a blood-dripping longsword, looked at Pu Xianwannu and said, "Now the Emperor of Dongzhen should be at ease, right? That vile woman is dead. I still have two unmarried daughters who can marry Jin Ruoxian. What is there between him and me that we can't resolve?"

"Excellent! Commander Cui, what a skillful method!"

Pu Xianwannu said, “Let’s hurry! The secret passage can accommodate three people walking side by side. First, there will be three Yebiezhao, then three Dongzhen soldiers. After one hundred teams, it will be the two of us and the King of Goryeo. After that, it will be your family members. After that, it will be my family members. After that, it will be the Goryeo royal family. The rest of the soldiers will cover the rear.”

Cui Yu knew that mutual trust was rare, and this was the best way to build it, so he nodded and said, "It's basically acceptable. However..."

He pointed at the king and said in a deep voice, "Now that we have made peace, what use is the burden of the Goryeo royal family? Kill them, seize their wealth, and go to Japan to live a happy life!"

"Uh...okay!"

Pu Xianwannu quickly changed his mind and pointed at the king and the others, saying, "Kill them! Seize their property!"

The artisans and laborers who dug the secret passage have all been killed to keep the secret.

The Cui family's valuables have already been loaded onto the ship, but the king and Dongzhen Kingdom will not trust the Cui family, as their valuables are still here.

Although the Goryeo royal family had no power, their wealth was considerable!
Cui Yu's words ignited Pu Xianwannu's greed. After all, Pu Xianwannu was a homeless dog with little wealth.

As for how Pu Xianwannu managed to seduce the Japanese without the Goryeo royal family, well, there was Choi Woo.
Even if Cui Yu is unreliable, there's still Jin Ruoxian.

Pu Xianwannu refused to believe that even if Cui Yu had killed his own daughter, Jin Ruoxian would have no grudges against Cui Yu.
Jin Ruoxian's navy only has six or seven hundred men, and he needs Pu Xianwannu to balance Cui Yu's power.

Besides coveting the wealth of the Goryeo royal family, Choi Woo was also motivated by revenge. After all, he had just lost his daughter and hated the king intensely, determined to kill him!
"Stop them!"

"Protect the King!"

"Kill these traitors and rebels!"

……

Even a wrecked ship has three pounds of nails; among the five hundred men Wang led in his escape, there were still one hundred armored soldiers. Upon hearing this, they charged straight forward.

"Run!"

Wang and his companions lost their valuables and scattered in all directions.

Leaving behind valuables would be fine; for ordinary members of the Goryeo royal family like Bo Xianwannu, it wouldn't matter much. But the king, however, had to be killed.

Because Wang was one of the few people who knew the exit of the secret passage, it would be troublesome if he were captured by the Mongols.

Finally, the king was cut down by a Dongzhen soldier. Pu Xianwannu, still not satisfied, smashed the king's head with an iron mace before leaving with Cui Yu.

However, with such a long delay, burning down the entire palace is no longer a realistic option.

boom!
Just as a raging fire broke out in Hanguang Hall, Shi Tianxiang finally led several hundred Plain Yellow Banner soldiers to the front of the hall.

"Hey! I'm too late!"

Shi Tianxiang had already captured several members of the royal family and learned of the existence of the secret passage. Seeing this situation, he couldn't help but sigh with regret.

However, just then, a voice suddenly rang out, saying, "General, look, that bitch moved! She... she's still alive!"

The speaker was a member of the Goryeo royal family who had just been arrested.

"who is she?"

"Cui Yu's eldest daughter was named Cui Ru. She was married off to Jin Ruoxian by Cui Yu, but she had an affair with a servant..."

"Stop... saying it!"

Cui Yu's sword had pierced Cui Ru's lower abdomen, but it hadn't hit a vital spot; she had simply lost too much blood and fainted.

Of course, given the medical conditions of that era, she wouldn't live much longer.

Before the Goryeo royal family member could finish speaking, Choi Yeo opened her eyes and said weakly, "I...I know where that secret passage leads."

"Where does it lead to?"

“The city… Qinghe Village, thirty li east of the city.”

"Really?" Shi Tianxiang stared into Cui Ru's eyes and said in a deep voice, "You don't want your father to live anymore?"

"He's heartless, so I'll be unjust!" Cui Ru's eyes flashed with hatred as she gritted her teeth and said, "I won't live! He won't live either! Jin Ruoxian won't live either! If we're going to die, we'll die together!"

"What a cruel woman!"

Shi Tianxiang had no idea that this woman was a notorious figure in Goryeo history for murdering her husband.

What they didn't know was that Cui Ru actually held a very high position in the Cui family.

Although Choi Woo had two sons, they were born to his concubine Seo Yeon, who was originally a prostitute. According to Goryeo customs, such illegitimate sons were not considered respectable, and Choi Woo sent them away to become monks at a young age.

Choi Yeo was born to Choi Woo's principal wife, and it was her husband, Kim Yeok-seon, who was considered Choi Woo's true heir. For this reason, Kim Yeok-seon was entrusted with a crucial responsibility by Choi Woo: command of the vital naval force during the final escape.

Therefore, Cui Ru really did know the exit of that secret passage.

But regardless of whether you believe in Cui Ru or not, you can't give up on two such precious big fish, even if there's only a sliver of hope.

Immediately, Shi Tianxiang sent someone to inform Shi Tianni and Zhao Shuo.

At Zhao Shuo's command, eight thousand Plain Yellow Banner cavalry, led by Shi Tianni, urgently left the capital and headed to Qinghe Village, thirty miles east of the city, to block the road.

How can two-legged creatures outrun four-legged ones?

Just as Pu Xianwannu and Cui Yu's two thousand or so men emerged from the secret passage and were about to leave Qinghe Village, eight thousand cavalrymen roared in from all directions.

Pu Xianwannu led his troops to meet the enemy head-on and was killed in battle. His wife, Li Xian'e, committed suicide out of love for him.

Cui Yu was not as decisive as when he killed his daughter. He failed to commit suicide and was captured alive by Shi Tianni.

Subsequently, Shi Tianni urgently interrogated Cui Yu and learned the location of Jin Ruoxian's navy.

Cui Yu, of course, didn't care about Jin Ruoxian's life or death; he only wanted to suffer less, so he confessed readily.

Then, Shi Tianni, disguised as a member of the Goryeo army, launched a surprise attack on Jin Ruoxian's navy, annihilating most of the navy and seizing most of the Cui family's wealth.

Only Jin Ruoxian lived up to his reputation as Cui Yu's chosen successor. Although he couldn't control his wife, he was incredibly brave and ruthless, managing to escape with dozens of his men in a boat.

Inside Zhao Shuo's central command tent, Shi Tianni knelt respectfully before him and reported, "In this battle, I personally led the 1,000th commander of the Plain Yellow Banner in a surprise attack on Jin Ruoxian's fleet. We captured nine large ships, beheaded 522, captured 87 enemy soldiers, and seized 354 chests of gold, silver, jewels, and brocade. However, I failed to meet Your Majesty's command and was unable to capture Jin Ruoxian. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

"Get up."

Zhao Shuo was clearly in a good mood and slowly said, "In this battle of Kaesong, it was your Plain Yellow Banner commander Shi Tianxiang who was the first to charge into the Goryeo palace and find the entrance to the secret passage, which allowed our army to capture Cui Yu and kill Pu Xianwannu. In this raid on the Goryeo fleet, most of the wealth accumulated by the Cui family was also recovered. Not capturing Jin Ruoxian is nothing; it is a minor flaw."

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Majesty!"

Shi Tianni then stood up and asked, "The Crown Prince Wang Jeon of Goryeo, the powerful minister Choi Woo, and nearly a thousand other Goryeo nobles, along with more than two thousand captured Goryeo soldiers, are all in the Plain Yellow Banner's military camp. What should be done with them? Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."

"Kill them all."

If the King of Goryeo, or Emperor Dongjin, Pu Xianwannu, were still alive, Zhao Shuo would like to hold a ceremony and personally cut off their heads.

However, Zhao Shuo was too lazy to deal with figures like the Crown Prince of Goryeo, Wang Jeon, and the powerful minister Choi Woo, and simply let Shi Tianni handle them.

Shi Tianni bowed slightly and said, "As you command. I will take action tonight."

Zhao Shuo continued, "In addition, the Plain Yellow Banner made great contributions in this battle to break through Kaijing. As the first commander of the Plain Yellow Banner, you should be promoted to banner lord."

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! I am willing to die for you!"

Boom boom boom!
Shi Tianni knelt down and kowtowed three times to Zhao Shuo.

The first banner lord of the Han Chinese Eight Banners!

To put it bluntly, there is no one in Zhao Shuo's army who can definitively surpass Shi Tianni in status.

What's wrong with Hai Rige of the Flying Eagle Army? He only commands a few Semu Banners. How can he compare to Zhao Shuo's core Han Army Banners? A Han Army commander of a thousand men becomes a commander of ten thousand men when transferred to a Semu Banner.

As for Wu Xian, he was just a banner leader of a non-Muslim group.

Moreover, don't forget that Zhao Shuo did not bestow any titles upon his subordinates other than his own throne.

Everyone can understand.

After all, Zhao Shuo still had the Mongol court above him.

If one day Zhao Shuo is crowned with the yellow robe, he should be rewarded with a title based on his merits.

Given Shi Tianni's position, it's hard to say whether he could be granted the title of a king of a different surname, but the position of a duke is practically guaranteed!
It goes without saying that bringing glory to one's ancestors and benefiting one's descendants is a given.

In fact, Zhao Shuo's army was filled with people calling him "Your Majesty" and "Long Live the Emperor," reflecting both the ordinary soldiers' affection for Zhao Shuo and the encouragement from his generals.

Everyone is so eager to improve!

However, Zhao Shuo was too imposing, and without a clear instruction, no one dared to conspire to give him an extra piece of clothing.

Zhao Shuo waved his hand and said, "This is all you deserve. Go back and get some rest. In three days, I will personally confer the seals on you and Shi Tianxiang."

"Yes!"

Three days later, flags and sails fluttered, horns swayed, men shouted and horses neighed, and helmets and armor gleamed.

A grand celebration ceremony was held outside Kaesong.

First and foremost, it's about being promoted to higher official ranks and titles.

Amidst the watchful eyes of 80,000 soldiers, Zhao Shuo read out Shi Tianni's achievements.

Shi Tianni knelt on one knee and swore allegiance, then received the seal of "Master of the Plain Yellow Banner of the Han Army" from Zhao Shuo.

Shi Tianxiang succeeded Shi Tianxiang as the head of the first ten thousand households of the Plain Yellow Banner.

In addition, during this battle against Goryeo, a total of seven Han Chinese commanders and one Mongol commander either died in battle or were physically disabled and unable to continue their duties.

The eight newly appointed commanders who replaced them also knelt on one knee and received the seal from Zhao Shuo.

Next, sixty-seven households were promoted from ten to one hundred, and the process was the same.

On one hand, this allowed those who received the titles to enjoy the glory of being the center of attention. On the other hand, it was Zhao Shuo's method of controlling his subordinates.

Where did you get your official position?
It wasn't given by an official, but bestowed upon it personally by the King!
They receive the king's salary and are loyal to the king himself, not their superiors.

In peacetime combat, one must obey the orders of one's superiors.

But if the superiors act recklessly, they will have to be loyal to the king and execute the traitors.

Then comes the part everyone loves to see: dividing the money and the women.

Of course, Ögedei Khan wouldn't take a share of Zhao Shuo's spoils after breaching the capital. And of course, in a joint siege, it wouldn't be a case of whoever gets the most loot keeps it all; otherwise, everyone would be fighting over the meat and unwilling to gnaw on the bones, making the battle impossible.

Therefore, the wealth and women captured in Kaesong were distributed according to military merit and the number of people involved.

Zhao Shuo's forces were fewer than those of Ögedei and Tolui combined. However, they had made many contributions and, overall, received 55% of the spoils of war.

Two hundred and seventy thousand taels of gold!

Eighty-nine thousand taels of silver!

Two million six hundred and forty thousand strings of cash!

Two million three hundred thousand bolts of various kinds of cloth!

……

There were 67,044,580 young women!
Although Goryeo was a poor country, its nobles and monks were all quite adept at accumulating wealth, and their gains were still considerable.

After the capture of Kaijing, each ordinary Han soldier received approximately sixty taels of silver worth of valuables, and the entire army erupted in cheers.

Of course, what they liked most were the Korean women.

Goryeo is a place known for its beautiful women.

Don't be fooled by the fact that people from a certain country are called "round-faced" in later generations; that's because they are from southern Korea. Women from the north are much prettier.

Therefore, the saying "Southern men, Northern women" has been circulating on the peninsula, meaning that the women from the northern part of Goryeo are the most outstanding.

Throughout history, beautiful women have been a specialty of this peninsula.

The three most luxurious items for nobles in the Tang Dynasty were Kunlun slaves, Bodhisattva maids, and Silla maids.

Silla maids were beautiful and gentle, and were most popular among the nobles of the Tang Dynasty.

During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, Goryeo women became a special tribute presented by Goryeo to the imperial court. Throughout the Yuan dynasty, more than 1,500 beauties were presented as tribute from Goryeo, and one Goryeo woman even became the empress of Emperor Shun of Yuan.

Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) was also very fond of Goryeo beauties and constantly demanded that Goryeo send them as tribute. According to the "Veritable Records of Emperor Taizong," of the seven consorts he established in the seventh year of Yongle's reign, "except for Lady Wang, who was from Suzhou, the rest were all Goryeo people."

Zhao Shuo was allocated over 67,000 women from Kaijing City, and their quality was exceptionally high.

After all, which of those Goryeo nobles or even monks didn't amass beauties from all over the country? Now it's all benefiting Zhao Shuo and his ilk.

Among these beauties, the most outstanding were, of course, the three daughters of the King of Goryeo.

The king had three daughters, who, according to historical records, married the King of Xinyang, the noblewoman Qi Yun of Goryeo, and the noblewoman Yi Fen-seong of Goryeo, respectively.

But now, only the eldest daughter has grown up and been granted the title of Palace Mistress of Shouxing Palace (yes, Palace Mistress, not Princess). The other two daughters are ten and eight years old, respectively, and have not yet been granted any titles.

Zhao Shuo took the position of the Palace Master of Shouxing Palace, while the other two went to Ögedei Khan and Tolui respectively.

Zhao Shuo had previously taken a Goryeo beauty as a concubine. Kim Wan-rong was the daughter of Kim Hyun, the Minister of Rites of Goryeo. She was naturally beautiful, had a unique fragrance, and was both beautiful and intelligent.

This newly grown-up Palace Mistress of Shouxing Palace, though lacking the alluring fragrance of Jin Wanrong, was no less beautiful. She was petite, with snow-white skin, and her beauty was captivating. Most importantly, she possessed the added advantage of her status!
Zhao Shuo had already taken her as his concubine yesterday, and the taste was quite good.

In addition, forty-nine noblewomen from Goryeo, such as Queen Yoo and Choi Woo's two unmarried daughters, were also kept by Jo Suk as maids.

Zhao Shuo was the first person in history to use a Silla maid of this caliber.

According to the rules, Zhao Shuo is entitled to 30% of the spoils of war from his own troops, which means that of the more than 60,000 Goryeo women, 20,000 belong to him.

After keeping forty-nine noblewomen from Goryeo, Zhao Shuo sold off all the remaining women.

Of the more than 67,000 young women from Kaijing, if you calculate carefully, there would be one for each of the Han soldiers who entered Goryeo, with some to spare. Of course, it was impossible to distribute them equally; they would be divided according to rank and merit. Ordinary Han soldiers who had not distinguished themselves would have to pay extra if they wanted to have a Goryeo maid all to themselves.

"I want this!"

When it was Li Tiezhu's turn to choose, he quickly pulled a Korean woman he had already chosen out of the crowd.

He belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Han Army, and at the end of the Western Expedition, he was just an ordinary Han soldier. But now, he was a head of ten households. Choosing only one Goryeo woman not only didn't require any additional payment, but also earned him extra wealth.

The Goryeo woman he chose wasn't particularly outstanding in appearance among the other Goryeo women. She appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, not especially young.

However, the fabric of her clothes was quite exquisite, suggesting she was the wife or daughter of a nobleman from Goryeo.
It's her!

Li Tiezhu was a boastful man. When the Western Expedition ended, he boasted about its achievements to the tenant farmers in Lijiazhuang, earning countless admiring glances. Later, one of the tenant farmers' sons actually joined the Bordered Yellow Banner.

"Hmm, tonight, I'll find out more about this woman's background. When we get back to Hebei, I'll show off! Silla maids, even in the Tang Dynasty, were only affordable for nobles! And the one I'm using now isn't just any ordinary Silla maid; how envious those villagers will be, hahaha!"

Li Tiezhu thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)