Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 121 Straight to the Heart of the Army, Blitzkrieg against Seoul

now.

The Later Jin envoy, Tulumai, was stunned by Li Zong's words.

After saying, "Something must have happened in Dongjiang Town," he didn't hear a word of what Li Zong said afterward.

How could anything have happened in Dongjiang Town?!

Compared to Dongjiang Town, the people sent by the Later Jin were like stones hitting a chicken egg.

With such an absolute disparity in strength, what unexpected events could possibly occur?!

Almost instantly, Thurumai, who had just been completely drunk, sobered up.

After his initial shock, he quickly looked at Li Zong: "What did you say?! How did you know that my Later Jin army might have been completely captured by the Ming Dynasty?!"

Li Zong looked at Tulumai and said, "The Dongjiang Town has sent an envoy, but your Later Jin has not received a single word from you. The situation is quite clear."

Upon hearing this, Tulumai wore an incredulous expression again: "How could the Ming Dynasty possibly defeat my Later Jin army?!"

Seeing Tulumai's expression, Li Zong didn't say anything more about the matter.

Since it has already happened, what's the point of dwelling on how it happened?
Moreover.

How am I supposed to know how the Ming Dynasty managed to defend Dongjiang Town?!
You're asking me? Then who am I supposed to ask?
He said bluntly, "Instead of worrying about this, we should think about how to deal with the situation ahead. The envoy sent by the Ming Dynasty has already arrived in Seoul."

After listening to Li Zong's words, Tulumai paced back and forth in the room several times before gradually calming down.

"So what do you plan to do?!"

Just then, one of Li Zong's confidants entered the room and whispered something in his ear.

Listen to his trusted subordinates recount their story.

Li Zong's expression changed, and then he narrowed his eyes and said, "Bring it here."

"Yes!" the subordinate replied and left.

Yi Jong then looked at Tulumai and said, "I just received news that the Ming Dynasty envoys not only killed our Joseon officials."

"They also brought the heads of your general, Vunage, and his men."

"What?!" Turumai's eyes widened in anger, his disbelief palpable.

He never expected that the Later Jin not only lost to Dongjiang Town, but also didn't even leave a single prisoner!
If the commander has been beheaded, how can the other soldiers possibly survive?

Not long after.

A dozen or so wooden boxes containing human heads were presented. Turumai looked at his former comrades in the boxes, his eyes blazing with fury.

Li Zong, on the other hand, remained calm, even showing a hint of smugness, because the Ming Dynasty's move was a great help to him.

original.

Li Zong also planned to have Kong Youde and others pay an audience with him in court the next day.

Then find a pretext to humiliate these people, and in front of all the civil and military officials, thoroughly deflate the arrogance of the Ming Dynasty envoys.

But now it seems there's no need for that anymore.

The heads brought by the Ming Dynasty clearly demonstrate that their purpose in sending envoys to Korea was to intimidate.

In this case.

Why give the Ming Dynasty face and then fabricate a crime to punish those missions?

Wouldn't it better demonstrate North Korea's inviolable authority by simply imprisoning all those people without any explanation?
Moreover, if Kong Youde and his group were to utter any disrespectful words in court, it would not be good for him.

of course.

Li Zong was well aware that doing so would be tantamount to directly betraying the Ming Dynasty.

Li Zong wouldn't have planned to play this game unless he was forced into a corner, after all, he was a politician.

But things are different now.

The heads of Wunage and others have completely pushed the Later Jin to their side.

With such a powerful ally, what did he have to worry about regarding the Ming Dynasty?
Could it be that.

Once Joseon and Later Jin form a true brotherhood, can the Ming Dynasty still directly lead troops to attack Joseon?
It’s simply a fool’s errand!

Looking at the heads in the box, Li Zong remained calm, but inwardly he sneered even more.

The person who came up with this idea from behind the scenes clearly lacks political acumen and is only thinking about the surface level.

If it were him.

He only uses these people's lives to form alliances and even sow discord between Korea and the Later Jin.

But that's how politics is; once you make a mistake, it's hard to have another chance to correct it.

What Li Zong had to do was not waste this precious opportunity that had come knocking on his door.

Li Zong turned to Wu Nag and said solemnly, "Your country's generals have all been executed by the Ming Dynasty, which shows that the Ming Dynasty's current strength is not as weak as we previously guessed."

"In that case, you now only have two paths to choose from."

"One option is to swallow this humiliation and pretend that nothing happened, and then Korea will continue to submit to the Ming Dynasty."

"As for whether the Ming Dynasty will use Dongjiang Town as a base to continue to invade the rear of the Later Jin, I cannot guarantee that."

"Secondly, the Later Jin and my Joseon joined forces to fight against the Ming Dynasty."

"To show my sincerity, I can throw the envoy sent by the Ming Dynasty into prison right now!"

Tulumai suddenly looked up, then quickly pondered Li Zong's words in his mind.

Although he knew that Li Zong's words contained an element of provocation.

However, for the Later Jin, joining forces to fight against the Ming Dynasty was indeed the best option.

The fact that Dongjiang Town managed to withstand the Later Jin's offensive against everyone's surprise means that there's no telling what other unexpected events might occur later.

If they don't get rid of it, the Later Jin dynasty will be unable to sleep or eat in peace.

There is.

The news of Wu Nag and others being killed will eventually reach the Later Jin. If they do not express any reaction, the morale of the entire Later Jin will be greatly affected.

Turumai was certain that even after he returned to Shengjing and spoke of this matter with the Great Khan, he was certain of it.

The Great Khan would definitely choose to join forces with Korea to take Dongjiang Town first.

Having thought this through, Turumai no longer hesitated: "Alright! I will go back and report to the Great Khan now. To show my sincerity, I can first sign a letter of state with you on behalf of the Later Jin!"

Upon hearing this answer, Li Zong solemnly asked, "Approximately how long will it take for your country to send troops to reinforce Dongjiang Town?"

"Since all three thousand elite troops were wiped out there, we would need at least ten thousand elite troops to ensure that we can be absolutely safe if we send reinforcements."

Turumai pondered for a moment: "At most a month or so."

Li Zong nodded: "During this time, I will continue to gather intelligence about Dongjiang Town to see what exactly is happening there."

"At the same time, no matter what kind of arrangements the Ming Dynasty makes around Dongjiang Town, I will do my best to hold them back."

"it is good!"

immediately.

After the two sides reached a consensus, Li Zong instructed his men to imprison the entire Ming Dynasty delegation.

Tulumai witnessed the entire Ming Dynasty delegation being arrested in public.

Some people were even killed for their fierce resistance, but they didn't waste any more time and hurriedly set off for Shengjing.

Watching Tulumai's disappearing figure, Li Zong narrowed his eyes again.

His plan has succeeded, and the Ming Dynasty will pay a bloody price for its arrogance.

at the same time.

Inside the prison.

Although Kong Youde and his men were covered in wounds, they continued to curse and shout.

No one expected that Li Zong would send men to imprison them immediately after saying he would meet with them the next day.

Moreover, they were bound and paraded through the streets in the most humiliating way in front of everyone before being imprisoned.

This kind of action.

It's no longer a simple, open rebellion against the Ming Dynasty; they're preparing for a complete and irreconcilable conflict with it.

Inside the prison, the crowd went on a rampage, cursing Li Zong's ancestors for eighteen generations.

But it's a pity.

Their shouts went unanswered.

Only after he had finished cursing did the person beside him look at Kong Youde with great concern: "General, what should we do?"

Faced with his subordinate's question, Kong Youde was momentarily at a loss for words.

He could only offer words of comfort: "His Majesty will arrive in Korea in a few days, and then His Majesty will surely rescue us."

Upon hearing the name "Your Majesty," the people in the prison cell were no longer as fearful as they had been at the beginning, and their morale improved.

Kong Youde looked at everyone and said nothing more.

For Kong Youde...

Although he is now imprisoned, his biggest concern is not his own safety, but the fact that he has not completed the task assigned to him by His Majesty.

Not only did it fail to achieve its goal, it also had the opposite effect.

It is likely that after tonight, the newly emerging Chungmyeong faction within North Korea will be suppressed once again because of this incident.

Kong Youde knew.

One of His Majesty's main purposes in sending him to Korea was to demonstrate the power of the Ming Dynasty to the loyalists within Korea.

He could guess that His Majesty was probably thinking of using these people as an aid to deal with Yi Jong after arriving in Korea.

In the original plan, if this plan succeeded...

When His Majesty truly leads a large army to land in Korea, a single call to action will surely garner enthusiastic support from the loyalist faction within Korea.

But now, it seems everyone will choose to wait and see before making a decision.

In this way, His Majesty's personal campaign against Korea will inevitably be even more difficult.

And more importantly.

Since Li Zong dared to openly rebel, it means he must have the confidence to face the wrath of the Ming Dynasty.

Not good.

Li Zong may have already reached an agreement with the Later Jin.

After all, when he was being paraded through the streets bound, he noticed several Jurchens with tasseled haircuts staring at him menacingly in the crowd.

Now let's look at it from Kong Youde's perspective.

The only way for the Ming Dynasty to break the deadlock is to quickly win several battles after His Majesty leads his troops to land in Korea.

Then, using this as leverage, they would negotiate with Li Zong, gaining three cities and relinquishing two, in exchange for certain benefits before making further plans.

But the problem is, with only ten thousand troops under His Majesty's command, how easy is it to win several battles in a row?

Not to mention that the Later Jin might have some other tricks up their sleeve.

Thinking about these things, Kong Youde couldn't help but feel increasingly worried.

Unfortunately, he was in prison and couldn't do anything of value.

Disturbed and confused, Kong Youde could only place his hopes on a miracle.

at the same time.

On the main ship in the procession of the Holy One.

Mao Wenlong, Chen Jisheng, and other generals were currently engaged in a lively debate about a map of North Korea.

The reason for the argument was that the royal procession would arrive in North Korea in about two days.

Before arriving in North Korea, the most important thing was to come up with a battle plan.

Landing in North Korea was easy, with the cities of Sonchon and Cheolsan serving as bases.

They can not only land easily, but also rest and prepare there before setting off again.

However, everyone has their own opinion on how to deal with the situation that follows.

Some people say that we should use Xuanchuan and Tieshan as our base and gradually expand inland.

Some people say it would be better to attack the coastal cities of North Korea by sea.

Only after weakening North Korea's naval power can Donggang Town truly enjoy peace.

Everyone expressed their opinions, and there were all sorts of different things to say.

Moreover, everyone's statement seemed to have some merit, making it difficult to choose.

Amid the commotion, Mao Wenlong waved his hand, interrupting, "Has Kong Youde brought back any news?"

If Kong Youde could send back some intelligence, it would be of great help in deciding on the method to attack North Korea.

The general in charge of the matter immediately stepped forward and replied, "Reporting to the commander, we have not received any news yet!"

Mao Wenlong frowned and couldn't help but sigh, "Let's prepare for the possibility that Kong Youde and the others have already been captured by Li Zong."

Upon hearing this, a look of solemnity flashed across the eyes of all the generals.

Since Li Zong dared to secretly collude with the Later Jin, he might not be afraid to openly imprison the Ming envoy.

However, this move had both advantages and disadvantages for all of them.

The bad thing is that they lost their intelligence and inside contacts, and the Chungmyeong faction in North Korea may also be affected as a result.

The good thing is that this can make the soldiers more united in their hatred of the enemy.

Everyone solemnly agreed to the matter.

Then they added the possibility that Kong Youde and others had been arrested, and continued to think along this line of thought.

that's it.

They chatted inside until late at night.

Having considered almost every possible scenario, the generals finally decided on two attack routes.

The plan to travel by water has been completely rejected; it's simply not feasible.

The remaining two options both involve an inland attack, which can be roughly categorized into two routes: left and right.

Both routes ultimately lead to Seoul, but the journeys involved are quite different.

The road on the left.

In the early stages, you will encounter some rather troublesome cities, and it will take a lot of effort to conquer them.

However, once the initial path is cleared, the subsequent paths will be much easier.

The road on the right.

In the early stages, the cities you face are not heavily fortified and can be taken down relatively easily.

However, the further you go on this path, the more difficult it becomes.

Moreover, due to enemy blockades, there is a possibility that we may be forced to go against our original intentions and change our destination.

A heated discussion erupted among the crowd surrounding these two routes.

Some people say we should go to the right.

In this way, as long as a few cities are captured first, they can be used as bargaining chips to negotiate with Korea and achieve the Ming Dynasty's goals.

Some people say we should go to the left.

The reasoning was that occupying less important cities was pointless; it was better to attack cities that were more difficult to conquer but had greater strategic significance, thus giving them more leverage in negotiations.

The crowd continued to chatter.

Mao Wenlong waved to quiet everyone down, gave a few instructions, and then took the two suggestions to His Majesty for a decision.

The purpose of their discussions was essentially to screen matters for His Majesty, making it easier for him to make a decision.

As for whether His Majesty ultimately chooses to fight to the left or to the right, either way is fine.

Moreover, everyone shares a consensus.

Regardless of the route taken, the ultimate goal is to inflict significant damage on North Korea.

If North Korea is severely punished, it will at least be deterred from causing trouble for a short period of time, and their objective will be achieved.

The reason they were having such a heated discussion just now.

Ultimately, the debate revolves around which approach would give the Ming Dynasty more leverage in negotiations.

After all, for hundreds of years, the way to deal with foreign countries has been to inflict pain on them, then negotiate, and then slowly plot against them.

You can't just think about destroying someone's country, can you?

Even Mao Wenlong, who had always considered being granted a title of nobility as his lifelong ideal, had never thought of this.

Although if he really followed His Majesty to destroy Korea, then it shouldn't be a problem for Mao Wenlong to be granted a marquis title.

But that's just too unrealistic.

The total number of troops sent out was barely over ten thousand, while a war to destroy a country usually requires hundreds of thousands of troops.

Not to mention that winter is just around the corner, and North Korea is not weak to begin with, with the Later Jin dynasty watching it from behind.

Therefore, Mao Wenlong was very clear about this.

If everything goes smoothly in this expedition to Korea, then at most we will only capture a few Korean cities, and then His Majesty will call a retreat.

It is impossible to achieve a complete victory in one battle; the Korean issue cannot be resolved by a small-scale war.

But if we win this battle, things will be much easier to handle later.

As for what difficulties we will encounter in this war, we will only know once the war actually begins.

With a mix of thoughts, Mao Wenlong knocked on Zhu Youjian's door.

After entering the door.

Mao Wenlong recounted the results of the discussion among the soldiers and then explained in detail the advantages and disadvantages of the two routes, left and right, to Zhu Youjian.

But to Mao Wenlong's surprise, he was interrupted by His Majesty before he could finish speaking.

"What's left or right? Just go forward."

Mao Wenlong was taken aback, then asked with some confusion, "Your Majesty, please forgive my ignorance, but what exactly does the word 'forward' mean?"

Zhu Youjian glanced at Mao Wenlong and said calmly, "Strike straight at the heart of the enemy, launch a lightning attack on Hancheng."

Mao Wenlong: ?

(End of this chapter)