Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 126 What should we do?!
Looking at that indifferent gaze from just now.

Li Zong, kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but tremble violently all over.

He never expected that the enemy would use this method to breach the city.

is that useful?
it works!

For the lowly people outside the city, as long as a small number of them responded to the call, the crowd would grow larger and larger like a contagious disease.

But that's not the most critical issue.

Instead, they were the ordinary soldiers defending the city.

Li Zong knew very well that the civilians outside, who had no military training whatsoever, could not possibly breach the city.

However, if the soldiers in the city were incited, the entire capital would be destroyed in an instant.

If Li Zong were currently in the capital and knew that the Ming emperor would do this, he would immediately try his best to appease those people.

However, Li Hu, the current temporary head of the city, is completely unaware of the Ming emperor's plans.

Perhaps in another day or two, Li Hu will be able to detect some clues from the slightest disturbance.

But by then there was no time left.

Behind every plan of the Ming Dynasty emperors was one word: speed!
It's so fast that people don't even have time to react.

By the time others realized what was happening, it was already too late, and defeat was inevitable.

A feeling of despair continued to fester in Li Zong's heart.

He recalled his past strategic brilliance, his high position, and his riches and glory.
soon.

Li Zong's spirit was destroyed by despair.

Bound hand and foot, Li Zong began to writhe wildly on the ground like a maggot, and even with large chunks of dirt in his mouth, he couldn't stop howling:
"I was wrong! I was really wrong!"

"From now on, I will obey the Ming Dynasty completely! I will obey the Ming Dynasty completely!"

"As long as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is willing to spare my life, I will do whatever the Ming Dynasty asks me to do! From now on, Korea will be the most obedient dog of the Ming Dynasty!"

At this moment, Li Zong's words came from the bottom of his heart.

If the Ming emperor was willing to spare him this time, he was willing to become his most obedient and loyal dog from then on.

Even if the Later Jin tried to coerce or entice him, he would not harbor any further evil intentions.

but.

Li Zong's howling only attracted the guards outside the door.

The guard kicked Li Zong to the ground, muttering something under his breath:
"What are you yelling about?!"

"Kill you, and North Korea will be ours too!"

soon.

As the Ming army continued to incite unrest, many civilians and soldiers from nearby cities gathered outside the city.

among these people.

Only a small portion of them genuinely followed the Ming army to attack the city after hearing that Li Zong had plotted a rebellion and been captured.

Most of the rest were just there to watch the excitement.

Regardless of the team's actual combat strength and morale, it certainly looks like a formidable force.

All of this naturally put considerable pressure on Li Hu in the city.

He hadn't expected that his lord would be captured so soon, and that the Ming emperor would gather so many people to attack the city.

In a moment of urgency.

Li Hu could only pace back and forth on the city wall, ordering the defending troops to guard the city strictly and not to make any mistakes.

When people are in a critical situation, their emotions are inevitably affected, and they become irritable and easily angered.

Therefore, Li Hu's words were filled with anxiety and cursing.

This wasn't directed at anyone in particular; Li Hu treated even his trusted generals the same way.

The same applies to the ordinary soldiers guarding the city.

Li Hu did not think there was anything wrong with what he did.

Firstly, in this life-or-death situation, who has the mind to think about these things?!

Secondly, the higher a person's status, the less they realize what mistakes they might make.

Just as Li Hu was repeatedly mobilizing troops to guard the city.

The dozen or so old men who remained in the city had already received the message from the Ming Dynasty.

When the Ming army struck the capital, they had already made up their minds to follow the Ming Dynasty.

When the Ming emperor captured Li Zong alive, they knew even more clearly that they were on a path of no return.

If we don't fight now, when will we?!

So we just received the message.

Jin Demin and his men then led the few hundred soldiers under their command toward a city gate where Li Hu was not present.

Unsurprisingly, the group was stopped at the city gate.

"We are defending the city, what are you trying to do?!"

"Li Zong's rebellion is a foregone conclusion. The Emperor of Daming has sent a secret edict: as long as you are willing to join us in capturing and killing Li Hu, you will not only receive a reward after the city falls, but all the wealth and possessions of Li Hu and his gang will be yours!"

As soon as these words came out.

The generals guarding the city looked at each other, their eyes revealing hesitation.

Seeing this, Jin Demin continued to add fuel to the fire:

"Ino Jong has been captured by the Ming Emperor in full view of everyone, and the defeat of Joseon is a foregone conclusion!"

"Furthermore, if Li Zong really does come back alive, do you think, given his personality, he will forgive your previous act of stopping the war in the face of battle?!"

"Now let's look at the Ming Dynasty emperor."

"You've already given the Emperor of Ming a hundred taels of silver just for welcoming him. Are you still worried that the Emperor of Ming won't keep his promise?"

Finished saying this.

The hesitation on everyone's faces had turned into undisguised excitement.

It's not that Kim Deok-min's words were particularly inflammatory, but rather that the bloody facts are right here!

Jin Demin simply stated it.

After exchanging glances, the group gritted their teeth and said, "Alright! Once the Ming Dynasty begins its attack, we'll act as inside agents to let the Ming army into the city!"

Jin Demin breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly sent someone to relay the news that the soldiers inside the capital had been turned to defect to the Ming army.

there.

Upon receiving the news, Zhu Youjian did not hesitate and immediately sent people to announce Li Zong's crimes in front of the capital, and then executed him.

As the execution began, Li Hu and his elite North Korean troops were instantly thrown into panic.

They didn't expect the Ming Dynasty to take action without saying a word.

With Li Zong executed, the morale of the Ming army reached its peak, and they immediately swarmed forward.

Just as Li Hu was about to order his men to defend the city with all their might, a commotion suddenly arose within the city.

Those tens of thousands of soldiers actually chose to defect in the face of battle, turning their spears against them.

Seeing this scene before him, Li Hu felt a sense of despair.

In the end, amidst the devastation, he chose to draw his sword and commit suicide, his body falling from the city wall with a thud to the ground.

With the death of their commander Li Hu, the remaining soldiers and generals lost all will to fight.

Next.

This meant that the Ming army entered the Korean capital without lifting a finger.

at the same time.

In the capital's prison.

Kong Youde and the other two had been beaten so badly they were on the verge of death.

But at this moment, listening to the faint sounds of commotion outside, the group of envoys in the prison cell had no mind to care about themselves anymore.

What's going on? !

Could it be that His Majesty has already led his people to Korea, or even to the vicinity of the Korean capital?
At this moment, Li Zong is conscripting troops to prepare for an attack on His Majesty's imperial carriage.

Otherwise, why would there be such a big commotion?

Can Your Majesty withstand Li Zong's attack?
Countless worries swirled in everyone's hearts.

But at this moment, they have absolutely no idea what is happening outside.

Everyone was as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

Only after Jin Demin, his face beaming with excitement, led his men into the cell did Kong Youde manage to struggle to his feet and urgently ask:
"What exactly happened outside? Has His Majesty of the Great Ming landed in Joseon to ambush Injo?!" Kim Deok-min: "Injo has been killed by His Majesty! The Great Ming army has now entered the city and taken over its defenses!"

"Korea belongs to our Great Ming Dynasty!!!"

Everyone:?
After breaking the city.

It's nothing more than following the usual procedure.

Those who have rendered meritorious service will be rewarded, and those who have committed crimes will be executed.

Apart from a few people who were not happy, the remaining tens of thousands of soldiers defending the city and the crowd of people conscripted from the surrounding cities were very excited.

You don't know until you try: damn, these men can be this rich?!
To give a simple example, one of Li Hu's concubines had a set of jewelry worth several thousand taels of silver.

This is something that many ordinary people cannot earn in a lifetime of hard work.

However, these things are now really cheap for them.

Everyone happily scrambled for the food while shouting "Long live the Ming Dynasty!" and "Long live His Majesty!"

The remaining Ming army was even more excited.

Although these people did not join the group that reaped the spoils, the joy they felt was far beyond that of ordinary people.

No one expected it.

This expedition to Korea ended in such a way, and all within just a few days.

It was to be expected.

Even in the most concise historical records, this great achievement will be recorded in great detail.

Because this was a complete and utter war of annihilation! And it was the kind of war where only a little over ten thousand men were sent deep into enemy territory to conquer the enemy capital without shedding a drop of blood!

Throughout thousands of years of history, this is a feat that only a very few exceptional individuals could accomplish.

now.

Mao Wenlong's men couldn't help but start teasing him about his long-cherished dream of being granted a title of nobility.

However, Mao Wenlong only blushed slightly and did not respond.

Logically speaking, winning a war that would destroy a country would certainly be enough to earn one a marquisate.

But Mao Wenlong knew that this battle really had little to do with him.

Not only Mao Wenlong, but also some other generals knew that this matter had nothing to do with them.

In fact, their presence or absence might not have a significant impact on the overall situation.
and so.

I only mentioned this as a lighthearted joke to relax during the celebration.

After all, everyone's hearts have been on edge during this period.

The crowd celebrated wildly, and laughter filled the entire Korean capital.

However, Zhu Youjian did not join in.

at this time.

He was in the royal palace in the capital, reviewing Korean documents from recent years, especially those concerning relations with the Later Jin.

for others.

Destroying North Korea could be considered an unprecedented achievement, deserving of a day and night of unbridled celebration.

But for Zhu Youjian, Korea was nothing more than a small pebble on the empire's path forward.

Would you feel proud if you kicked a small pebble while walking?

Not to mention.

An even bigger obstacle awaited him ahead: the Later Jin.

This is also thanks to the relatively close ties between North Korea and the Later Jin Dynasty in recent years.

The Seoul Imperial Palace today contains a wealth of materials related to the Later Jin dynasty.

Zhu Youjian looked at these documents, flipping through them repeatedly, and pondered in his heart how to deal with the Later Jin.

After all, it was a foregone conclusion that the Later Jin army would be at the gates of Korea in just a few days.

……

Within the capital.

Apart from the residents and soldiers of Lincheng who had already been promised.

The celebrations of the Ming Dynasty's imperial army did not last long.

His Majesty is now tirelessly striving for the Ming Dynasty. How can they possibly remain so complacent and unable to extricate themselves from their joy?
Moreover, everyone is well aware of why His Majesty is working so hard.

Although the North Korean issue has been resolved.

But behind them lies the Later Jin, an opponent far more formidable than North Korea.

Now, the Ming Dynasty is facing the Later Jin directly.

Ever since.

Almost instantly, everyone got back on track.

Those responsible for handling political affairs began to handle them, while those in charge of city defense began to take over the city defenses; each performed their respective duties.

Not long after.

As everyone handed over their work step by step in the capital, one of his subordinates approached Chen Jisheng with a somewhat worried expression.

In the Dongjiang military town, Chen Jisheng was a deputy general mainly responsible for handling political affairs.

Although he occasionally engaged in some kind of killing, he was generally a civil official.

Therefore, when there were any political issues, his subordinates immediately sought him out.

Seeing the worry on his subordinate's face, Chen Jisheng frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

The subordinate replied hesitantly, "General Chen, our Great Ming Dynasty currently faces a problem in Korea: we don't have much silver on hand."

Chen Jisheng was taken aback, but then immediately realized what was happening.

The batch of silver seized from Shandong has been almost entirely distributed.

After the city fell, the spoils of war in King Injo's palace and the property of the officials and generals in the city were all promised to be given away.

These Ming soldiers didn't care about the money, but the problem was that their purpose in coming here wasn't just to kill Li Zong and be done with it.

The Ming Dynasty was to take complete control of Korea from this moment on and build it into a powerful battlefield against the Later Jin.

All of this requires a large sum of money.

After a moment of silence, Chen Jisheng pulled the official aside and asked in a low voice, "How much silver is left in the army?"

"There are only 300,000 taels left. Even if you include all the remaining miscellaneous items in Li Zong's palace, the total amount will not exceed one million taels."

Hearing this answer, Chen Jisheng frowned even more.

If this amount of silver were kept in Dongjiang Town, it would indeed be a huge sum of money.

But now Chen Jisheng's standards have also risen accordingly.

He understood perfectly well that such a small amount of silver wouldn't even make a ripple in North Korea.

If North Korea cannot be rebuilt, the situation will become quite difficult.

Nearby, there was the Later Jin dynasty, and further afield, there were powerful clans and wealthy families in Shandong and Liaodong who were eyeing the region with covetous intent.

After hearing that Korea had been occupied by the Ming Dynasty, these people would certainly not stand idly by and watch Korea develop peacefully; many troubles were bound to arise during this period.

However, His Majesty cannot remain in Korea indefinitely. If something were to happen, His Majesty might find it difficult to handle the situation effectively due to the distance.

Where are we going to get the money?!

Chen Jisheng fell into deep thought.

To be honest, when his subordinates told him they were short of money, his first thought was to rob them.

The gains from robbing a powerful family in Shandong are something you couldn't achieve even in twenty years of hard work through other means.

But this tactic can only be used once, and Shandong will surely be much more vigilant after what happened last time.

If they try to steal it again, they certainly won't succeed easily, and they might even pay a heavy price.

What about getting some silver out of North Korea?
This idea was also rejected by Chen Jisheng after a moment's thought.

The so-called "getting" of money is nothing more than exploiting the people or levying taxes under various pretexts.

But under the current circumstances, North Korea absolutely cannot withstand such turmoil.

The people's hearts were already unsettled after the conquest of North Korea.

With external enemies surrounding them, major chaos is inevitable.

For a moment, Chen Jisheng frowned, unable to come up with a solution.

What should I do? !
(End of this chapter)