Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 220 How dare he!

"Are you afraid?"

Ping An raised his voice and asked.

He was now wearing armor, with a sword at his waist and a spear in his hand.

After changing into this outfit, his entire demeanor changed.

It exudes a lot of heroic spirit and battlefield prowess.

"Not afraid!"

"Not afraid!"

"Yeah, what's there to be afraid of? Killing Tartars is just what we do best!"

Ping An laughed heartily, quite satisfied with the soldiers' reaction.

"This dog Tartar is our defeated foe, and we have a blood feud with him."

When the Tartars were in power, we were starving and freezing; they didn't treat us like human beings at all.

Countless people lost their lives due to the brutal rule of the Tartars, and their lives were filled with misery.

It was His Majesty who led us to kill the Tartars and drive those bastards away that made our lives better.

As a result, these barbarians were too fast runners; they tucked their tails between their legs and fled to the grasslands, hiding their heads and refusing to come out.

It makes it difficult for us to fight them.

But now, these barbarian bastards are getting restless. They've actually come to Goryeo to stir up trouble and make Goryeo, a country that had already submitted to our Great Ming, reconsider its loyalty.

Such things cannot be tolerated; they must all be killed!
Tell these Tartars, they're nothing!

"Yeah, that's nothing!" The crowd's hushed voices were filled with overwhelming fighting spirit and hatred.

"What we are doing now has been done before, by Ban Chao and Ban Dingyuan."

When Ban Chao was sent as an envoy to the Western Regions, he arrived at the Kingdom of Shanshan.

At first, the king of Shanshan treated Ban Chao, the envoy of the Han Dynasty, with great courtesy and respect.

However, his attitude quickly turned cold afterward.

After a quick analysis, Ban Chao concluded that the Xiongnu envoys had also arrived, which was why Shanshan had become like this.

At the time, there were only thirty-six of them, but he was not afraid at all.

He led these thirty-six men and headed towards the Xiongnu's encampment overnight, killing nearly two hundred members of the Xiongnu delegation.

The next day, they took the head of the Xiongnu envoy to the king of Shanshan, which made the king obedient and no longer dare to be disloyal.

They were helped to make a choice, no longer wavering between the Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty, and firmly chose the Han Dynasty.

Today, we face the same situation.

But our situation is much better than Ban Dingyuan's!

Ban Dingyuan only had thirty-six men, but we had a full four hundred!

The Yuan Tartar envoys numbered only a little over five hundred.

Ban Dingyuan was unaware of the news from the Xiongnu envoy at the beginning; it was an impromptu decision made under sudden circumstances, without prior preparation.

Before we entered Goryeo, we knew that the Northern Yuan Tartars would be entering Goryeo.

A thousand years ago, Ban Chao led thirty-six warriors across the Western Regions and annihilated the Xiongnu people in one fell swoop.

Our situation is much better than Ban Dingyuan's.

How could you back down?

"We can't back down! We absolutely can't back down!"

“Sages like Ban Dingyuan will be watching over us, their descendants, from heaven.”

We must also show them through our actions that the Chinese people are still resilient and courageous!
We will not tarnish the reputation of our forefathers!

Some people chimed in, their spirits high.

"Alright, let's set off! Let's have a good slaughter! Slaughter all the Tartars!"

Ping An laughed heartily and gave the order without hesitation.

"Kill the Tartars to honor our ancestors! Tell them that China has stood up!"

The Ming Dynasty will certainly not be weaker than the mighty Han Dynasty!

As the words fell, Ping An rode off, leading the way, his heart filled with excitement.

Ping An didn't read much, far less than Mu Ying.

However, he knew about Ban Chao's exploits in the Western Regions, especially his feat of beheading the Xiongnu envoy with thirty-six men and showcasing the power of the Han Dynasty.

And they were captivated by it.

That's why he can speak so clearly today.

He felt an endless surge of passion within him. The sages of a thousand years ago faced far less favorable conditions, yet they were still able to achieve this.

How could they not do these things? They would certainly not bring shame upon the sages of the past!
If we can follow the example of our ancestors and accomplish our goals, we can find great satisfaction in life and make our journey worthwhile!
The Ming Dynasty soldiers harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Tartars, and their repeated victories on the battlefield had long since robbed them of any fear when facing the Northern Yuan Tartars.

All that remained was a deep-seated hatred and an unwavering belief in victory.

Even if Ping An didn't say any of this, as long as he mentioned killing the Tartars, these people would roar and follow him without the slightest fear.

Not to mention, Ping An has now revealed Ban Dingyuan's exploits in the Western Regions.

That made their blood boil uncontrollably!

They wished they could immediately slaughter all these Tartars and display the might of the Ming Dynasty to the world.

Make these bastards and Goryeo behave!

They knew that the Ming Dynasty was not to be trifled with!

Jin Tao accompanied them and led the way. He was a pure scholar who had never participated in any fighting.

The people of the Yuan Dynasty held a psychological fear of them.

But at this time, as they traveled with the Ming Dynasty envoys and were influenced by their spirits, they gradually lost their fear.

All that remained was excitement and anticipation.

At this point, he finally understood why the Ming Dynasty was able to drive out the Yuan Dynasty and restore the Han people's land.

Putting everything else aside, the sheer aura alone was far beyond his imagination.

He couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if he could become a member of the Ming Dynasty.

They will surely be able to stand tall and be upright, fearless, just like the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Just thinking about it makes one yearn for it.

This is the grandeur of a great nation!

This feeling was something they, the Koreans, had never experienced before.

While Ping An led his people to set off, Mu Ying also led a delegation of about a hundred people, following Yi Seong-gye to the military camp under Yi Seong-gye's management.

The mission Mu Ying was currently undertaking was far more dangerous than the one she was on peacefully.

On the one hand, people like Li Renren and Cui Ying were even more difficult to deal with than the Yuan Dynasty's envoys.

On the other hand, Ping An led the people of the Ming Dynasty, who were united and focused on killing the enemy, so there was not much to worry about.

But Mu Ying was acting with Li Chenggui. Although Li Chenggui performed reasonably well, one cannot truly know a person's heart.

No one knows whether Yi Seong-gye is really as he appears to be.

Could they sell them off in this incident?

They might even turn around and attack them.

Therefore, Mu Ying personally took on this mission, leading his men to work with Yi Seong-gye, and sent Ping An to kill the Yuan Dynasty envoy.

As the elder brother and the person in charge appointed by His Majesty, he naturally had to shoulder his responsibilities.

He'll do the dangerous stuff, while the safer tasks will be left to his younger brother, Ping An.

There's a reason why Mu Ying was so highly regarded by Zhu Yuanzhang and achieved such great success in history.

Li Chenggui's performance did not disappoint Mu Ying.

This person must have some extraordinary qualities to be chosen by his adoptive father.

In terms of official rank, he was not the highest, and was under the command of Cui Ying.

However, he held extremely high prestige among the troops he led.

These Goryeo soldiers were willing to listen to him.

Even without any official mobilization documents, he could mobilize these troops with just a few words.

Let them act with him.

That alone puts him ahead of many others.

Seeing that Yi Seong-gye had quickly mobilized so many troops, Mu Ying felt much relieved.

At this point, the matter is already more than halfway to success...

"Li Renren acted perversely, plotted to kill the king, and installed Xin Dun's son as king. He was truly disloyal and unfilial!"

Not only did he commit regicide, but he also conspired to befriend the Yuan Dynasty and murder Ming envoys!
His crime deserves death!

Today, the Great Ming Kingdom has dispatched angels to slay this villain!

Everyone has a part in killing such a villain!

You need not worry about being punished. With the angels of the Kingdom of God by your side, our actions are just!
No one can slander us on this matter!

After leaving the military camp, halfway through the journey, Yi Seong-gye told his soldiers what they were about to do.

This is to leave these people no room to back out.

At the same time, the identity of Mu Ying's envoy was also revealed.

Li Renren still held some prestige. If it weren't for the fact that he was an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, some people would definitely be intimidated... But with Mu Ying's identity as an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, many things would be much easier to do.

This will give these people the courage they deserve.

Leaving aside these ordinary soldiers, even Yi Seong-gye himself, if it weren't for the fact that the Ming envoy had personally come to his door, how could he have had the courage to agree to do this so directly?
Mu Ying held the envoy's token high, indicating his identity to these people and reiterating the Ming Dynasty's anger at Li Renren's perverse actions.

He then ordered these people to join him in eliminating the traitors to the country.

They said that these people would be rewarded after the matter was accomplished, so there was no need to be afraid, as the Ming Dynasty would support them.

As expected, after Yi Seong-gye revealed Mok Young's identity and Mok Young stepped forward to make a statement,

Many of those who had initially panicked upon hearing that Lee Seong-gye had brought them out to do something suddenly calmed down and became more confident.

With the support of the Ming Dynasty envoy, things will be much easier.

"All of you, fight on and kill the traitors!"

If you do a good job, you'll definitely be richly rewarded!
But at this point, anyone who tries to stop will only face certain death!
Don't even think about tipping off Li Renren, and don't even think about doing anything inappropriate!
It's too late!
Anyone who dares to do that, I will kill them even if it means sacrificing my own business.

Moreover, things have already come to this point; once you've come out with me, you have no way out.

Even if you wanted to defect, Li Renren wouldn't trust you!

This is why Yi Seong-gye led these people out of the camp first, and then told them the purpose of their trip halfway there.

The purpose was to prevent them from having a chance to resist.

They were all pulled directly onto the boat.

Although Yi Seong-gye was quite confident in his control over these people.

But the task at hand is too important to handle without being overly cautious.

Under a combination of kindness and coercion, these people quickly expressed their willingness to follow Yi Seong-gye, obey the orders of the Ming envoy, and kill the traitor.

Yi Seong-gye was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately ordered his men to head straight for Yi In-im's residence.

At the same time, they also sent people to Cui Ying's side.

If we deal with these two people immediately, things will be much easier.
That's basically it.

Meanwhile, Ping An and his men, under the cover of night, arrived at Kaibao Temple, where the Northern Yuan envoys resided.

"You take the war drums and go around to the back of Kaibao Temple."

After the large-scale attack, you should immediately beat the war drums and shout for battle.

You forty men, twenty of whom are armed with bows and crossbows, seize advantageous terrain.

Ten men with shields blocked the rear, and ten men with spears formed a shield wall.

If the enemy doesn't come out from here, fine. But if they do, kill them all; don't let a single one escape!

"Yes!"

Upon hearing Ping An's words, everyone readily accepted the order.

Ban Chao had already provided a very correct example of how to kill enemy envoys in other countries long before this.

Therefore, Ping An was able to use his skills with ease at this time.

You don't even need to think too much about it; just take it out and use it.

However, compared to Ban Chao's mere thirty-six men, his side had over four hundred, a more than sufficient number of personnel.

Therefore, in addition to those who beat war drums to bluff, archers and crossbowmen, as well as shieldmen and spearmen, were also arranged at the back gate to block the rear.

"You take firewood and other flammable materials, and we will set the fire shortly."

You people, once you go in, don't go anywhere else, go straight to the stables.

We must seize the warhorses; we cannot allow these Tartars to ride them away!

Without their horses, they're practically dead!

Ping An continued to make arrangements in a very organized manner.

He might not be a good commander, but he was a very competent general.

After making the arrangements, he didn't hesitate any longer and immediately ordered the operation to begin.

Up until this point, these Yuan Dynasty envoys remained completely unaware.

It was a dark and windy night, already late at night.

However, many of the Yuan Dynasty envoys still had not rested.

The air was filled with the aroma of wine and meat, and occasionally laughter and other unusual sounds could be heard.

There were many young Korean women accompanying them.

When people in the Yuan Dynasty got excited, some would do things that made them happy in front of others.

These Yuan Dynasty people were overjoyed, feeling that the good days that belonged to their Great Yuan Dynasty had returned.

Since they arrived on the grasslands, their status, treatment, and the things they could enjoy on a daily basis have all plummeted.

Even Goryeo, a place that once groveled before them and acted as their dogs, has become unruly.

But this time it was different. This time they came to Korea again, and the long-awaited enjoyment immediately surrounded them.

Li Renren was very sensible and treated them with utmost respect.

Not only did they agree to the many conditions proposed by their Great Yuan Emperor, they also treated these envoys with the highest level of hospitality.

They could eat and drink to their heart's content, enjoying endless fine wines and delicacies, as well as women from Goryeo.

Nai'er Buhua thought Li Renren was very sensible, and when she returned, she would speak well of Li Renren to their emperor.

We hope to be able to make another diplomatic mission to Goryeo next time.

Two Goryeo women surrounded Nai'er Buhua, serving him.

Nai'er Buhua, slightly drunk, was quite satisfied with the treatment she received.

He also received news that the damned Ming dynasty had sent envoys at this time.

No, but he wasn't worried about it.

Because Li Renren was very respectful when facing the Yuan Dynasty.

They truly wanted to submit to the Yuan Dynasty.

Moreover, Li Renren had killed a previous Ming Dynasty envoy, so it could be said that they had leverage over him.

Under such circumstances, Li Renren would absolutely not submit to the Ming Dynasty, nor would he give the Ming Dynasty any favors.

These envoys from the false Ming dynasty had no chance of gaining any advantage from Goryeo.

This time, in the dealings with Goryeo, I am the victor.

A false claim of voltage stabilization!

This put him in a good mood; for them, it was a huge victory, something to be happy about.

They can simply watch as these envoys from the false Ming dynasty suffer.

This was truly a spectacular show!

Nai'er didn't spend money, and the more she thought about it, the more relaxed she felt, and at the same time, she became somewhat interested.

He reached out and patted the head of the tall woman serving him...

In Korea, they are treated like royalty.

The entire Goryeo Kingdom held them in exceptional respect and submitted to them with utmost deference.

Here, they don't have to worry about their personal safety, and they don't feel that anyone will do anything to them.

This is why they appear very indulgent and have a particularly low level of vigilance.

Even after Ping An had already sent people over the wall to open the gates of Kaibao Temple and led his troops into the temple, the Yuan Dynasty had still not reacted.

After killing dozens of Yuan Dynasty people and setting fires, some Yuan Dynasty soldiers finally realized something was wrong and began to shout desperately.

But unfortunately, it was too late.

"You dog Tartar, die!"

The Ming soldiers spat out the copper coins they had in their mouths, shouted curses, and charged towards the Yuan Dynasty envoys.

No matter who the Yuan Dynasty people encountered were, regardless of their official rank, they were all treated equally and were simply slaughtered.

They don't even spare a dog.

This was an order given by Commander Ping at the very beginning, and they naturally had to carry it out strictly.

At the same time, upon hearing this commotion, the Ming soldiers guarding the back gate also beat their war drums as promised and shouted battle cries.

Immediately, the entire Kaiyuan Temple was thrown into chaos.

Nai'er Buhua was startled and pushed the Korean woman away.

Like many others, he ran outside barefoot.

But they found that a huge fire had already broken out outside, and countless people were rushing in.

"You bastards! Grandpa Ping is here to take you away!"

Ming army?!
They're actually Ming soldiers?!

Upon hearing such a noise, Nai'er Buhua was greatly surprised.

This is even more terrifying than he initially suspected!
When he first heard the commotion, he thought it was some reckless people from Goryeo who dared to attack them.

Who would have thought that the people who came would be from the Ming Dynasty!

The fear of being dominated by the Ming army over the years suddenly surged into my heart.

All those arrogant and aloof people from before have vanished without a trace.

He didn't even have the courage to organize a fight, and he ran towards the stables.

He needs to escape quickly!

(End of this chapter)