Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Li Junyi's cousin, Zhou Pu, fled more than twenty miles from the camp and was captured by the Ming cavalry.

Upon meeting Zhe Yanzhi, Zhou Pu said, "Zheng Zhongfu intends to lead the king to retreat to Nanjing and Hanyang. General, please send troops by sea to intercept him immediately!"

Zhe Yanzhi exclaimed incredulously, "He won't even save Haizhou, and he's even abandoning Kaizhou?"

“He was terrified,” Zhou Pu said.

Zhe Yanzhi then asked, "How many reinforcements did he bring?"

Zhou Pu said, "More than 6,000 soldiers, all of whom are elites from the six guards of the two capitals, and several thousand civilian laborers follow them."

“Some troops are also stationed in Gaegyeong, and my cousin Li Yifang is in charge of gathering them. Troops from the capital region and other places are gradually gathering there.”

"As long as the general sends a thousand elite troops to arrive in Gaegyeong before Zheng Zhongfu, my cousin will open the city gates to welcome the Ming soldiers and block the return route of Zheng Zhongfu's six thousand elite troops!"

Zhang Yi warned, "General Zhe, beware of a trap."

Zhe Yanzhi laughed and said, "Is your Li family really that kind?"

Zhou Pu said, "The Zhou family is from a poor family, and the Li family is from a military family. We have no future in Goryeo. If the Ming army doesn't come, we will definitely continue to govern the country by military men."

"But now that the Ming army has arrived, how can the weak Goryeo army possibly defeat them?"

"It was Zheng Zhongfu who deposed and installed the king, and our Zhou and Li families were misled and coerced by him."

“Zheng Zhongfu was arrogant and domineering. My two cousins ​​were afraid of being killed, so they were forced to be humiliated and become Zheng Zhongfu’s godfather.”

"This is a great grievance!"

Zhe Yan demanded, "What do you want?"

Zhou Pu said, "Please forgive our two families for being forced into a mutiny, Your Majesty!"

"You should go and rest first," Zhe Yanzhi said.

After the man left, Zhang Yi reminded him, "General Zhe, there's no need for us to take any risks."

"If this person is feigning surrender, there are many elite troops lying in ambush in Kaizhou, and the troops we send will suffer heavy losses."

Zhe Yanzhi took out a map of Goryeo and pointed to the mouth of the Yecheng River, saying, "There's no need to go to Kaizhou; we can land at the mouth of the Yecheng River."

"If Zheng Zhongfu really wants to withdraw his troops, our elite troops can ambush him near the ferry crossing in advance."

"The enemy army, along with tens of thousands of civilian laborers, will launch an ambush when they are halfway across the river!"

"If Zheng Zhongfu doesn't withdraw his troops, we can transport more grain by sea, and send our elite force straight into the rear of Zheng Zhongfu's army. Then we can attack from both sides!"

"Regardless of whether what Zhou Pu said is true or false, we will not suffer any loss by sending troops."

……

The straight-line distance from where Jeong Jung-bu withdrew his troops to Kaesong, the capital of Goryeo, was only 70 li (approximately 35 kilometers).

However, if marching with a large amount of baggage, one must first travel north along a small river.

Then turn east to reach a county town. After passing this town, continue east along the river valley, where the terrain on both sides of the valley is mostly hilly.

Then, after crossing the Yecheng River, the route winds for nearly a hundred miles through hilly terrain before reaching Kaesong.

A thousand elite Ming cavalrymen landed by boat on the east bank of the Licheng River estuary.

After a detailed discussion with the guide, they did not proceed with the planned surprise attack while the enemy was crossing the river.

Because doing that would require traveling twenty or thirty li north of the river.

Moreover, the areas they passed through were either rice paddies or hills, making it inconvenient for cavalry raids and battles.

Chapter 3976 The Powerful Clans of Goryeo

They chose to travel north along a tributary of the Licheng River, leading their horses on a hurried journey of about fifteen li along the winding, narrow road.

We couldn't ride horses at full speed because it was nighttime, and the roadside was lined with freshly harvested rice paddies.

Due to conscription for war, many farmers were drafted to Gaeseong and had not yet had time to plant other crops.

Many Korean civilians along the way heard the sounds of them leading their horses and marching.

But none of them dared to go out to check, fearing they might encounter defeated Goryeo soldiers.

They hid in their homes, trembling with fear, with only the village dogs barking incessantly.

At dawn, the guide pointed ahead and said, "That's Kaifeng Post Station. The surrounding mountains are rich in Korean ginseng."

“Powerful families often send people here to buy goods and then transport them to the outer port of Kaizhou to sell to merchants of the Ming Dynasty.”

This dilapidated place in front of me is the hometown of Yi Sun-sin, the cosmic war god of the Joseon Dynasty!

Du Ruohai, a cavalry general of the Ming Dynasty, asked, "Is the terrain ahead open?"

The guide said, "This is the most open area within a radius of twenty miles. Going east along a river valley, you can reach Gaegyeong directly."

"Whether Zheng Zhongfu led his troops to retreat or Kaizhou sent reinforcements to the front line, they would definitely pass through Kaifeng Post Station ahead."

"How many postmen are there at Kaifeng Post Station?" Du Ruohai asked again.

The guide replied, "There aren't many couriers; a cavalry raid should be able to capture them all."

"But there are still many farmers around, and there is a large clan's manor to the east of Kaifeng Post Station."

"If we rush out rashly, we will definitely be unable to conceal our tracks."

Du Ruohai continued to inquire about the terrain, and then led his cavalrymen, with their horses, into a nearby valley.

Du Ruohai is a former subordinate of Chen Ziyi, a native of Hebei, and currently commands cavalry troops in Liaoning.

Moreover, he was among the first graduates of the Ming Dynasty Military Academy—he attended the military academy's accelerated training program as an officer at the time.

He and his elite cavalry waited in the valley, taking turns to sleep and rest.

Some cavalrymen were sent to the valley entrance to capture or kill any Goryeo civilians who approached the valley.

Some cavalrymen kept watch in the valley, capturing or killing Goryeo civilians who tried to approach.

Several others climbed to the top of the mountain to observe the enemy situation using binoculars.

Around noon, a lookout on the mountain came running down: "General, two or three hundred Goryeo light cavalry have arrived at Kaifeng Post Station. They are probably the vanguard sent by Jeong Jung-bu to clear the way."

"Continue to observe," Du Ruohai said.

Another hour passed, and Zheng Zhongfu's main force arrived one after another.

From nightfall until now, Zheng Zhongfu has only traveled less than 50 li (approximately 25 kilometers) in a straight line.

However, it crosses two rivers, one of which is the main stream of the Licheng River.

With a large amount of baggage to cross the river, their marching speed was already quite fast.

The malnourished laborers couldn't endure it any longer and lay down to sleep near Kaifeng Post Station.

Many laborers were awakened by the soldiers and forced with sticks to go to the mountains to gather firewood.

Other laborers buried pots, washed rice, and prepared to cook.

As for Zheng Zhongfu's six thousand elite troops, only a few were fully armored; they were responsible for guarding and patrolling.

Most soldiers took off their armor and had it carried by laborers or livestock; no one would march in armor.

These guys had been traveling for half a day and a night and were exhausted. They huddled together in twos and threes to rest.

We didn't set up camp; after eating, we had to continue our journey!

Chapter 3977 This is what you call elite?

"Boom!"

A thousand elite Ming cavalrymen charged out of the valley, their hooves thundering.

This valley is several miles away from Kaifeng Post Station.

Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, Zheng Zhongfu was immediately alarmed: "The entire army, don your armor and prepare for battle!"

The six thousand elite Goryeo soldiers were thrown into chaos, rushing to find their armor.

They came from the two armies and six guards of Gaegyeong, with 100% of them wearing armor, making them the elite of the elite in Goryeo.

Moreover, after seizing power, Zheng Zhongfu used the pretext of suppressing a rebellion to massacre the Jin family of Qingzhou and seize a lot of money and grain to reward his soldiers.

The two armies and six guards were the main recipients of the rewards, and they all ate their fill, their morale soaring like never before.

These guys are probably strong enough to easily defeat the Ming Dynasty's grain transport army.

While the soldiers were searching for armor to wear, Zheng Zhongfu ordered laborers to move supplies and build a makeshift fortification using grain sacks, carts, and livestock.

"kill!"

A thousand Ming cavalrymen charged closer and closer, and the Goryeo laborers who were building fortifications were terrified and scattered.

When the Ming cavalry charged through the messy and poorly constructed fortifications, less than half of the six thousand elite Goryeo troops had donned their armor.

Most of the soldiers had just fastened their armor and didn't even have time to secure all the leather straps, let alone form any formation to defend against the enemy.

They hurriedly raised their weapons, while the general was still there giving orders to form ranks, and the officers' voices were hoarse from shouting.

"Come on!"

Li Junyi was the first to react and fled with dozens of his personal guards.

He sent his cousin to inform the Ming army and guide them to occupy Gaegyeong, so that his younger brother Li Yifang could take the opportunity to surrender the city and gain merit.

Offering the capital of Goryeo to the Ming Dynasty was a merit enough for the Li family to establish themselves in the Ming Dynasty.

To everyone's surprise, the Ming army didn't even bother to seize Gaegyeong.

Instead, they ambushed him halfway through the journey, which was completely unexpected by Li Junyi!

If he didn't run away at that moment, he would most likely be mistakenly killed in the chaos of battle.

Li Junyi fled with his personal guards, thus beginning the rout of the Goryeo army.

I have to escape.

Half of the soldiers weren't even properly armored, and they didn't have time to form a battle formation. How could they possibly fight off a cavalry attack?

The Goryeo soldiers threw down their weapons and tore off their armor, which they hadn't even put on yet.

They dared not flee along the main road, knowing they could not outrun the cavalry, so they all ran wildly towards the nearby mountains.

"General, let's go!"

Zheng Zhongfu brought honor to military men, and therefore enjoyed extremely high prestige within the army.

A top-tier elite force of several hundred men actually volunteered to stay behind and cover his retreat.

Zheng Zhongfu was so frightened that he rode his horse at full gallop. After escaping some distance, he turned around to look and saw that the rearguard had been routed.

No matter how elite they were, they could only wear Goryeo armor.

Most of their bodies were covered in leather lamellar armor. They barely managed to form a formation, and before they even engaged in battle, they were hit by arrows one after another.

The first squadron of Ming cavalry passed by after firing their arrows.

And ignoring these people, he chased after Zheng Zhongfu.

The second squadron of Ming cavalry, again shooting arrows, swept past to pursue and kill the fleeing Goryeo soldiers on the other side.

The third team...

Fourth team...

Elite Goryeo soldiers continued to fall, wounded by arrows. Some soldiers began to flee out of fear, and the barely formed army was on the verge of collapse.

The seventh squadron of Ming cavalry charged straight into the scattered enemy ranks.

It was like a sledgehammer smashing a watermelon, instantly shattering the Goryeo army formation.

At this point, these 6,000 elite Goryeo troops were no longer organized units; they were all routed soldiers.

Chapter 3978 Total Annihilation

Li Junyi, who had already ridden away for several miles, suddenly stopped and said to his personal guards, "Most of the elite troops of Goryeo are here. They are bound to be wiped out."

"Can we still defeat the Ming army?"