The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 270 Surprise Attack
Lee Kyung-hyo personally assessed the combat effectiveness of Kwon Ji-ri's soldiers.

Not only did he instruct Kwon Ji-ri to prepare to march south with 1 infantry, 500 cavalry, and 500 archers.

She also wrote a letter and asked Quan Zhili to send it to Wang Zhong, the leader of the Tashan Jurchen tribe.

He ordered him to accept his command and orders.

They also used the names of Tashanwei and Commander-in-Chief.

At least 4 cavalrymen from the various Jurchen tribes of Tashanwei were conscripted and were to arrive in Changxing City within 15 days.

Otherwise, not only would he be removed from his post as the deputy commander of Tashan Guard, but after the Japanese army was defeated...

He would also lead a large army to find him and have a good talk.

He also told Wang Zhong that he was not only leading 5 light and heavy cavalry this time, but also commanding 1 elite troops from the Liaodong border army.

I believe that once Wang Zhong knows the strength of his troops, he will wisely obey orders.

Of course, we want people to risk their lives for us.

There will definitely be many benefits.

In his letter, Li Jingxiao promised two taels of silver for the head of a Japanese soldier.

They also promised that the Jurchen cavalry would enjoy the same 6% share of the spoils of war as the soldiers of the Great Zhou and Goryeo.

The remaining 1% belonged to Li Jingxiao, and the remaining 3% belonged to the officers.

After sending the letter, Lee Kyung-hyo enjoyed himself in Changheung City with Kwon Ji-ri and four beautiful Goryeo maids.

However, Kwon Ji-ri's lust for power was far stronger than Lee Kyung-hyo's.

In the mornings, Li Jingxiao would usually have four beautiful maids accompany him, while he would take his trusted confidants to the military camp or keep an eye on the status of supplies and equipment.

Lee Kyung-hyo didn't care, and even thought it was a good thing that Kwon Ji-ri had goals and motivation.

Unfortunately, the King of Goryeo died before the Japanese army captured Gyeonggi Province and the Goryeo capital.

They retreated to Pyongyang ahead of schedule.

Now Li Jingxiao no longer needs to capture the king to rescue him.

Lee Kyung-hyo even thought that the army didn't need to move, as the King of Goryeo would come to Changheung City on his own.

Perhaps they might just run straight to Liaoyang City of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When the Japanese army captured the Goryeo capital, which is now Seoul.

It had only been a little over twenty days since they captured Busan.

It can be said that Goryeo's resistance was so weak that it collapsed at the first touch.

Moreover, the closer they were to the south, the worse the training and combat effectiveness of the Goryeo army became.

Lee Kyung-hyo even felt that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that the Japanese killed all these Goryeo soldiers.

Therefore, Li Jingxiao was not in a hurry at all; on the contrary, he remained inactive in Changxing City.

Because he knew that Japan would definitely continue its northward expansion.

This also means that the supply lines for the three Japanese armies, totaling 150,000 men, are constantly being stretched.

Ten days later, not only did the Great Zhou's 1.5 infantry and cavalry arrive in Changxing City.

Wang Zhong also arrived with 7 Jurchen cavalry.

Li Jingxiao hadn't expected that his order to Wang Zhong was at least 4, but this guy actually brought 7 cavalry.

Moreover, the heavy cavalry of one thousand Tatars that had been given to Wang Zhong was also brought along.

Wang Zhong saw Li Jingxiao leading more than 4 Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) from the Left Garrison Command to personally welcome him out of the city.

While feeling smug and happy, he was unaware that Li Jingxiao was sitting on a tall horse.

At this moment, he was wondering if he had misjudged Wang Zhong's abilities and ambitions.
If this guy performs too well this time, he might die in Korea or Japan.

Fortunately, when Wang Zhong spotted Li Jingxiao from afar, he immediately ordered the troops to halt.

He dismounted from his horse a hundred meters away and ran quickly over.

He knelt down in front of Li Jingxiao's horse with a thud.

"Your humble servant Wang Zhong, by order of the commander-in-chief, leads 7 cavalry to await the commander-in-chief's command."

After listening, Li Jingxiao pondered in his mind, but a bright smile appeared on his face.

With these 7 cavalrymen, he would have 2 heavy cavalry and 1.25 light cavalrymen under his command.

And 1.25 infantry.

Moreover, when necessary, the 5 cavalrymen of the Tiger Warriors and the 7 Jurchen cavalrymen could also serve as archers.

However, Japan's extensive use of matchlock guns posed a significant threat.

Fortunately, Li Jingxiao was well aware of the weaknesses of this matchlock gun.

He also possessed the skills of "creating fog," "borrowing wind," and "manipulating clouds and rain."

When used on the battlefield, it becomes a divine skill.

He looked at Wang Zhong and said, "Get up. When we storm into Kyushu Island, Japan, I will decide that the head of a Japanese samurai can be exchanged for a stone of Japanese land."

As long as you have enough battle achievements.

The entire island of Kyushu will be yours, along with all your generals and soldiers.

In this era, land is the most important asset.

If the reward is high enough, there are plenty of people willing to risk their lives.

Moreover, from the moment Li Jingxiao saw these 7 cavalrymen, he had no intention of letting most of the Jurchens return to Tashan.

Therefore, to divide this Jurchen army, one must offer sufficiently large benefits.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhong's heart skipped a beat.

Fortunately, Wang Zhong thought about the 7 cavalry he brought this time, 4 of whom were herders from more than a dozen Jurchen tribes in Tashanwei.

If these people stayed on Kyushu Island in Japan after the war, it would actually be a good thing for them.

Perhaps once these four thousand people settle down in Japan, they will also move their families and clansmen from Tayama to Kyushu Island.

In this way, his rule in Tashan would be more stable.

Upon thinking of this, Wang Zhong's face lit up with joy.

It's fair to say that those who play politics are all ruthless.

Looking at Wang Zhong's expression, Li Jingxiao thought to himself, "When your herdsmen and generals see real land, or even towns in Japan, they'll be completely different."

Once they are made city lords, they will surely abandon you as their leader.
-
Settle the Jurchen army.

Lee Kyung-hyo also monitored the movements of the three Japanese armies in Gyeonggi Province every day through his telescope.

The Goryeo king sent three letters a day, continuously to Liaodong and Changxing City, pleading for help.

The words in the letter were as humble as could be.

The objective was singular: to request Li Jingxiao to lead his army south.

But Li Jingxiao simply threw the letter on his desk and ignored it.

The timing of the southward advance was crucial, as was the outcome of the first battle upon entering Goryeo.

Therefore, Li Jingxiao kept staying in Changxing City, using the excuse of insufficient preparation for war.

If anyone else had been in command, they would definitely not have been able to withstand the pressure and would have had to lead the army south.

But if this person is Lee Kyung-hyo, then even Emperor Longde and the retired emperor in the capital have already received four letters from the King of Goryeo requesting assistance.

There was also a report from Liaodong Town that Li Jingxiao had gathered an army of 2.7 in Changxing City.

The emperor and his son remained unmoved by the memorials, but did not respond.

Meanwhile, Li Jingxiao had already mobilized enough troops of 3 men in Changxing City to provide them with a year's worth of provisions.

They still demanded that grain and fodder continue to be transported to Changxing City.

The emperor and his son agreed without much hesitation.

Li Jingxiao's plan to extend the Japanese supply lines was initially not something many people could have imagined.

But looking at the capital city of Gyeonggi Province in Goryeo, and the second capital city of Gaeseong to the north of the capital city.

Despite being captured by the Japanese, Li Jingxiao remained inactive.

Moreover, he kept requesting Liaodong to continue transporting more grain and supplies to Changxing City. Even excluding the possibility that he was afraid of fighting, some people could still see through his intentions.

Firstly, although the Japanese army was divided into three routes, the three routes were advancing side by side towards the Goryeo capital.

After capturing the royal city, the distance between the two sides during the attack on Kaesong was always short, making it easy to support each other.

So Li Jingxiao waited for the Japanese to actually divide their forces while simultaneously waiting for the supply lines to become longer and longer.

When the central route of the three Japanese armies began its advance towards Pyongyang.

The right-wing army marched north towards 'Wonsan'.

The left wing advanced along the Hwanghae Road to the left of Pyongyang.

Only then did Li Jingxiao order the drums to be beaten to gather his generals, and he personally led 1.2 light and heavy cavalry.

Carrying enough provisions for 10 days, they headed north into Pyongan Province, heading towards Hamgyeong Province.

The remaining 12,500 infantrymen and 7,000 support troops followed behind with supplies.

Lee Kyung-hyo led his cavalry at breakneck speed, but the northern part of Goryeo was mountainous, and if it weren't for his keen eyesight, he would have been unable to find a suitable route.

Arriving at the plains south of Chengxing City ahead of the Japanese right-wing army is not so easy.

Fortunately, the 5 Tiger Warriors were all elite troops who had followed Li Jingxiao on his campaigns for thousands of miles.

Although I've slacked off a bit in training over the past two years, I haven't let it go to waste.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao gathered his army in Changxing City and remained inactive for a month.

Although the training intensity of the Tiger Warriors Battalion was low, they never stopped running horses and engaging in combat training every day.

Moreover, because of the presence of Panax notoginseng powder, injuries can be recovered quickly unless death is accidental.

The Tiger Warriors' combat strength recovered very quickly.

Even the 7 Jurchen people were able to obey orders without question.

It's no longer the case that everyone rushes forward in droves when a battle breaks out.

In just four days, after marching more than 400 li (approximately 4 kilometers) of mountain road, they appeared in the mountains north of Chengxing City.

Li Jingxiao stood on a hillside, riding his horse, and opened his third eye on his forehead.

Soon they saw a Japanese army of 40,000, which was at least two days' journey from 'Chengxing City'.

A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

He instructed Erfu and Zhao Junheng to send a message to Wang Zhong, Zhao Junming, Han Mengzhuo, Tang Zhijie, Chang Rui, Niu Zhanpeng, Chen Hongsheng, and others, ordering them to set up camp and rest for two days.

Then he looked north and saw the infantry and logistics troops, only 80 li away.

He couldn't help but nodded with satisfaction.

Li Jingxiao would never have believed it if he hadn't personally led the troops.

Provided supplies are sufficient, infantry can march at a pace and speed that is in no way slower than cavalry.

If it weren't for the 1.25 infantry archers who needed to protect the logistics personnel along the way.

Perhaps by now they have already arrived north of Chengxing City, just like the cavalry.

So Li Jingxiao thought for a moment, then turned to his guards Jiang Liu and Liu Qi and said something.

"You two go and inform the infantry behind to separate from the logistics team and carry three days' worth of rations."

You must meet me before dark tomorrow afternoon.

Jiang Liu and Liu Qi nodded hurriedly and led two junior officers of the Imperial Guards on horseback to deliver the order.

The day passed quickly.

Although Li Jingxiao had known about the movements of the Japanese right flank army for a long time.

However, in order to maintain morale, they continued to send out elite spies from the Left Garrison Command to the south to investigate the movements of the Japanese.

Starting on the morning of the third day, every half hour, a Jinyiwei officer would quickly enter the commander's tent to report on the movements of the Japanese.

By this point, even a fool would know that Li Jingxiao had his sights set on not only the right flank of the Japanese army.

They planned to wait in comfort and exhaustion, and only lead their cavalry to charge when the Japanese attacked Chengxing City.

Once the two thousand heavy cavalry broke through the Japanese battle formation.

The subsequent 1 light cavalry could easily crush the 4-strong Japanese army on the right flank.

Moreover, after the cavalry defeated the Japanese army, they did not stop and continued south, leaving the task of mopping up and pursuing the enemy to 1.25 infantrymen.

Meanwhile, the cavalry marched south and blocked the route the Japanese were taking to escape to the south.

At that time, the Japanese will have the sea to their right.

To the left are mountains, and the defeated Japanese soldiers would be caught in a pincer movement from the north and south, trapped in a narrow plain.

There's no need for a fierce attack; just delaying them for two or three days will cause supply problems for the Japanese.

Li Jingxiao's cavalry didn't even need to fight the Japanese who were desperately heading south.

If you follow the fleeing Japanese army with cavalry, the morale of the Japanese will collapse.

Moreover, four-legged creatures are much less strenuous than two-legged ones.

If they dragged it out for another two days, the cavalry could easily kill the defeated Japanese army, which was short of food and had lost all morale.

Around 2 p.m., the vanguard of more than 1 Japanese right-wing troops could already see Chengxing City.

What Li Jingxiao didn't expect was that these 10,000 people only rested for an hour.

They actually dared to send three thousand men to attack the city.

What Li Jingxiao didn't expect was that these three thousand people took less than an hour.

It's like they only charged twice before they reached the top of the city wall.

Enraged, Li Jingxiao immediately started cursing.

Kwon Ji-ri and several Goryeo generals immediately lowered their heads in embarrassment and shame.

They dared not meet the gazes of the Zhou and Jurchen generals in the main tent.

After cursing for a while, Li Jingxiao had no choice but to adjust his plans.

Fortunately, it was already getting dark, and the remaining 30,000 Japanese troops would not be able to enter Chengxing City tonight.

At 3 a.m. the next day, the army began preparations.

The 5 Tiger Warriors had followed Li Jingxiao on the grasslands, launching repeated night raids, and were already considered experts in this area.

So, instead of feeling any fear, they were all eager to fight because of the impending battle.

The reason why 7 Jurchens responded so enthusiastically to Li Jingxiao's summons is similar to when Li Jingxiao was on the grasslands.

Whether they were Jurchens, Tatars, or soldiers of the Great Zhou, they were all treated equally.

The fact that all 60% of the spoils were divided equally was largely due to the fact that the spoils and captures were largely controlled by the fact that the spoils were divided equally among all the other 60% of the spoils.

When Wang Zhong's two thousand Jurchen men answered the call of their tribe and Tashan, the news quickly spread throughout the Jurchens surrounding Tashan.

Even in the Uriyangkhai Mongol tribes.

In addition, Li Jingxiao fought across thousands of miles, killing so many Tatars along the way.

The Uriyangkhai Mongols and Jurchens, who had been bullied by the Tatars for many years, both feared and admired Li Jingxiao, while also envying the 2 Jurchens of that time.

Therefore, Wang Zhong issued a conscription order to the Jurchen tribes of Tashan.

Furthermore, it was said that Li Jingxiao issued the conscription order, and the number of tribes and people who responded was enormous.

Even the Uriyangkhai Mongol tribe had a tribal leader willing to lead his people south with Wang Zhong.

Unfortunately, Li Jingxiao was unaware of this situation; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have minded bringing more cavalry into Goryeo.

At 4 a.m., Li Jingxiao took command of the 1 heavy cavalry under Wang Zhong's command.

After joining forces with 1,000 heavy cavalry from the Palace Guard, 2,000 heavy cavalry advanced first.

They walked slowly, even leading their horses for 20 li (approximately 10 kilometers), until they crossed Chengxing City.

When they were only 10 li away from the Japanese camp, which was 30 li south of Chengxing City where they had camped the night before, the heavy cavalry began to put on their armor.

The Tiger Warriors' 4 light cavalry have also caught up.

(End of this chapter)