Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 293 Kong Youde’s Ambition (Continued)

"Do you want to fight this battle?" After hearing this, Geng Zhongming was silent for a long time and sighed slightly.

A complicated look flashed in his eyes, as if he did not fully agree with Kong Youde's plan.

"Yes, that's right, prepare to fight this battle." Kong Youde was very unhappy when he saw his reluctant look.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, making a dull sound, as if he was suppressing his inner dissatisfaction.

Given the combat effectiveness of the North Koreans, he was confident that he could repel them even if they came with four or five thousand, let alone two or three thousand people.

A few years ago, the Jiannu army sent out only more than 30,000 troops and broke through half of Korea, leaving tens of thousands of Korean troops almost unable to fight.

Whether it was a field battle or a siege, the Jiannu army won with one blow and effortlessly conquered the cities of Yizhou, Dingzhou, Guoshan, Anzhou, Pyongyang, Huangzhou, and Pingshan, forcing the Joseon King Yi Jong to flee to Ganghwa Island for refuge.

Now, the small fishing port they captured is located in the remote Hamgyong Province of North Korea. The local military force is extremely limited. Even if a large-scale mobilization is carried out, there are no more than three or four thousand soldiers, and the overall combat effectiveness is quite questionable.

They wiped out the Koreans' so-called expeditionary forces twice, which was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

The first time, the confrontation between the group of more than 30 officers and the young men was negligible. There was no fighting at all. As soon as they set up their battle formation, the other side immediately knelt down and surrendered. They didn't even take action.

The second time, more than 300 local garrison troops were equally vulnerable. After just one charge, they scattered like birds and beasts. All Kong Youde's troops had to do was to chase and kill those defeated soldiers who fled too fast.

In both battles, there were no casualties among Kong's officers and soldiers, and the battle process was extremely easy.

Just now, Cao Shaozhong came to report that the Koreans had gathered thousands of soldiers in Jingcheng Prefecture and were preparing to come and wipe them out again.

Kong Youde strongly disagreed with this.

The Korean army is so weak that it is not even as good as the local garrisons of the Ming Dynasty. Not only are their combat skills unfamiliar, but their organization and discipline are also very loose. If they attack in a concentrated formation, they will be defeated at the first charge.

But looking at Geng Zhongming's attitude, it seems that he does not approve of him fighting this battle.

This made him dissatisfied and also gave rise to some suspicion.

Could it be that after falling into this state, you have become disloyal and will not obey my orders?
"If we defeat this wave of North Korean troops, what should we do next?" Geng Zhongming asked expressionlessly.

"If we inflict pain on the Koreans, we can settle down here in peace and gather strength. After that, we can... take advantage of the situation, establish our own territory, and become a self-proclaimed king. Wouldn't that be a happy and carefree life?" Kong Youde thought for a moment and said impatiently.

"If, after we defeat the Koreans this time, they gather more troops to kill us, how will we respond?" Geng Zhongming continued to ask, with a hint of doubt in his tone.

"When the enemy comes, we will fight him; when the water comes, we will build a wall with earth. Let's continue to fight them until they dare not send troops to attack again!" Kong Youde waved his hand, as if all this was no problem.

"If..." Geng Zhongming looked at him deeply and said softly, "If the Koreans invite the Ming army, how will we deal with it?"

"How could the Ming army intervene in the affairs of Korea?" Kong Youde rolled his eyes. "Right now, the Ming court is facing riots by refugees at home and threats from the Jiannu outside. How could it possibly spare the time to meddle in the affairs of Korea?"

"After the Koreans reported our situation to the Ming court, do you think the court would remain indifferent?" Geng Zhongming shook his head and said, "Even if the court is facing many difficulties, it would not be difficult to mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops."

"Don't forget, we are the chief culprits of the rebellion hand-picked by Emperor Chongzhen. We must be eliminated. Even if the Ming court doesn't send troops, a single imperial edict will spur the Kingdom of Korea to launch a full-scale encirclement and blockade. I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out for long!" "..." Kong Youde wanted to continue to refute after hearing this, but he couldn't find a good reason for the moment. Then he said bitterly: "Then tell me, how should we deal with it next?"

"The only solution now is... to recruit them."

"Surrender?" Kong Youde's eyes widened immediately, staring at him in disbelief. "You mean, we should kneel down and surrender to North Korea?"

"Haha..." Geng Zhongming smiled and shook his head slightly. "How could we possibly kneel down and surrender to the North Koreans?... They don't deserve it!"

"Then you said to recruit..."

"We just want a name." Geng Zhongming let out a long sigh. "We only have five or six hundred people. We can't withstand the North Koreans' repeated attacks. So we have to find a way to stabilize the North Koreans and buy some time to develop and recuperate."

"..." Kong Youde immediately understood what he meant. "We should give the Koreans a hard slap in the face, then immediately pay tribute and make Rajin our homeland. We can slowly develop and gradually expand and accumulate strength. Then, we can establish ourselves as king and dominate the region."

"That's right." Geng Zhongming nodded and said, "Captain Marshal, you know that I was a thousand-man commander of the Jiannu Han army before I joined Dongjiang Town."

"These past few days, while I was training hundreds of captured Korean soldiers, an idea struck me: we could follow the path of Jianzhou Laonu (Nurhaci) to rise to power. We could first rely on Korea, secretly build up our strength, wait for an opportunity, and then seize the opportunity to rise up and establish our own territory, just like Jiannu did."

"Can we also split Korea and eye the Central Plains like the Jiannu?" Kong Youde couldn't help but be excited after hearing this.

You know, a year ago, they had thought of splitting off from Denglai, occupying Shandong, and seeking independence.

However, they never expected that the cruel reality would give them a slap in the face. The imperial court mobilized troops from various places to surround the rebellion, and even recruited thousands of elite Guanning cavalry from Liaodong to join the suppression.

After a hard battle, Dengzhou City was finally conquered by the imperial army, more than 100,000 soldiers were wiped out, and their ambitions were shattered. In the end, only a few hundred of them were left. They fled across the sea in panic, and then ended up in this remote Korean fishing village.

After this blow, Kong Youde was severely damaged both physically and mentally. If it were not for the little bit of his remaining will to struggle to survive, he would have probably collapsed long ago.

"Captain Marshal, when I started my army, I had only thirteen sets of armor and a few dozen followers. Yet, I bravely rose up, attacked Tulun City, and drove out Nikan Wailan. Over the course of more than ten years, I unified the various Jurchen tribes and amassed enough strength to rival the Liaodong garrison. I don't need to elaborate on what happened to the Jiannu later; you already know it."

"Now, my army boasts nearly 500 battle-hardened soldiers, equipped with swords, spears, cannons, and over 500 sets of armor of various types. We also have dozens of blacksmiths and artillerymen. This capital is much more substantial than when I started out!"

"Yes!" Kong Youde slapped his thigh excitedly upon hearing this and stood up excitedly. "We can also imitate the Jiannu, use Rajin as our base, and then recruit Koreans to serve us, conquer other places, and expand our territory. With time, we will surely achieve great things for you and me!"

"However, to accomplish this, we must fight this battle. As long as we let the Koreans know how powerful we are and that they are unable to continue their conquest, we can then write to the Korean officials and ask for their surrender, and only then will we receive the promised order."

"Furthermore, when dealing with the court, we must conceal our identities and whereabouts. We must not expose them to the Ming court, thereby arousing their fear."

"Marshal Du has thought it through very carefully. Let's design and deploy accordingly and make early preparations for establishing a base in Korea." Geng Zhongming nodded in agreement.

"Okay then. Let's gather all the officers and men together to discuss how to deal with the impending Korean invasion." Kong Youde rubbed his hands, his face filled with excitement. "Once we win this battle, we'll have a bright future. Haha..."

Geng Zhongming smiled for a while, then stood up and said goodbye on the pretext of summoning all the generals.

As he walked out of the door, the smile on his face immediately disappeared and his eyes became cold.

"Humph, achieving great things? ...You are unworthy, you little brat!"
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(End of this chapter)