The Ming Dynasty: The Iron-Blooded Martial Emperor, Who Slaughtered the World

Chapter 145 The Terrified King of Korea!

Upon arriving at Dengzhou Garrison, Qi Jingtong, like Ling Luoshi, first summoned all the Ming Dynasty naval forces and held a passionate mobilization meeting.

After all the blame was placed on the Korean side, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were immediately filled with righteous indignation.

Everyone was filled with excitement and couldn't wait to set off immediately to conquer Korea.

This is why it is essential to have a legitimate reason for waging war. Regardless of how outsiders view it, the people of our own country must firmly believe that this is a just war.

Only in this way can the morale of the soldiers be maximized.

After the mobilization was completed, Qi Jingtong ordered: "All naval officers and soldiers, board the ships! Warships, prepare to depart immediately for Jinmenwei!"

"Yes, General!"

Just as Qi Jingtong led the Ming Dynasty navy back to Tianjin from Dengzhou, the Ministry of Revenue in the capital was also anxiously busy.

Large quantities of grain and fodder are being continuously transported from the Jingtong Warehouse to Tianjin Gate.

A total of 450,000 dan of grain and fodder were transported to Jinmenwei by oxcarts and donkey carts, awaiting Qi Jingtong to load them onto ships for shipment to Korea.

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Meanwhile, inside the Xishan military camp, Wang Shouren was also mobilizing the soldiers in the capital.

Ultimately, 50,000 soldiers were selected from each of the three major camps and the twelve regiments of the capital, totaling 100,000 elite soldiers from the capital. Under the leadership of Mao Lun, the commander of the Four Powerful Battalions of the twelve regiments, they set off for Datong.

To speed up their march, these soldiers did not carry much weight before setting off, only enough provisions to get them to Datong, and five hundred rifled cannons.

Once they arrive in Datong, Ling Luoshi will bring enough supplies and logistics for 150,000 men to Korea.

Once in North Korea, all logistical supplies were provided by waterway.

The misappropriated grain from Datong Prefecture will be replenished to Datong later from the Jingtong Granary.

Under Zhu Houzhao's orders, the entire Ming Dynasty court was like a sophisticated machine, operating methodically.

Soon, Qi Jingtong led the Ming Dynasty navy to Tianjin.

At this time, Qi Jingtong mobilized a total of two large ships, each forty-four feet long, and twenty-six small ships, each eighteen feet long.

As the warships docked at the port, the grain and fodder piled up around the port were quickly transferred into the ships.

At the same time, various logistical supplies were also sent into the ship, especially a large number of shells for breech-loading cannons and bullets for flintlock muskets.

After receiving the supplies, Qi Jingtong commanded the Ming Dynasty's naval fleet to depart directly from Tianjin and head towards Busan in southern Korea.

As Qi Jingtong led the Ming navy on its sea expedition, the 100,000 troops from the capital also arrived in Datong.

Subsequently, under the unified command of Ling Luoshi, a massive army of 100,000 set off from Datong and headed straight for Liaodong.

Their goal was clear: to cross the Yalu River and head straight for Uiju in North Korea.

The Ming Dynasty's expeditionary force to Korea is already almost at the Korean mainland.

In Zhu Houzhao's court, a group of officials were arguing incessantly about whether or not to send troops to Korea.

Wang Hua, the Vice Minister of Rites, firmly opposed Zhu Houzhao's use of force against Korea.

He stepped out of the queue and said solemnly to Zhu Houzhao, "Your Majesty, even if a coup occurs in Korea, it is an internal matter of Korea."

"If the Ming Dynasty were to wage war against Korea, it would violate the tributary system and cause upheaval within it. This would not only affect relations with Korea, but also with the Ming Dynasty's relations with other tributary states."

"Furthermore, diverting so many troops and resources to attack Korea will deplete the national treasury and weaken the border defenses. If the remnants of the Northern Yuan seize the opportunity to attack, the Ming Dynasty will be in grave danger!"

According to Wang Hua, it seemed that if the Ming Dynasty were to wage war against Korea, the Ming Dynasty would be doomed.

On the other hand, his son, Wang Shouren, was a staunch advocate of war.

"Your Majesty, Joseon disregarded the tributary system first. If the Joseon king, who was appointed by the Ming Dynasty, can be overthrown so easily by their internal coup, then what use is the Ming Dynasty's appointment?"

"If the Ming Dynasty does not send troops, the other vassal states will think that the Ming Dynasty is no longer powerful, which will affect the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and other vassal states."

"These small countries fear our power but do not cherish our virtue. As long as the Ming Dynasty maintains its overwhelming military strength, these vassal states will always be our most loyal vassal states!"

Wang Shouren's words made his father, Wang Hua, so angry that his face turned red and his hands trembled.

"you!"

"You unfilial son! I've made you study the classics since you were little, and this is the kind of wisdom you've learned?"

Wang Shouren said solemnly, "There is no son here. Minister Wang, please address me by my official title when in court!"

"you!"

Wang Hua was so angry with Wang Shouren that he felt like he was about to die, but he couldn't retaliate at all.

There was nothing he could do; he was merely a Vice Minister of Rites, while Wang Shouren was now the Minister of War.

Although Wang Shouren spoke with great righteousness, he was still filled with remorse towards Wang Hua.

After all, these weren't the words he wanted to say, but rather the words His Majesty wanted to hear from him.

His Majesty has already ordered the troop deployment. As the Minister of War, how could he possibly persuade His Majesty not to send troops?

Following this, Zhang Sheng, Minister of Rites, Yang Tinghe, Director of the Imperial Secretariat, and Liu Zhong, Academician of the Hanlin Academy, all stepped forward and successively opposed sending troops to Korea.

Meanwhile, officials such as Li and Jiao Fang also voiced their support for sending troops, with no one giving way to the other.

Just then, an official from the Ministry of War and an official from the Ministry of Revenue came to the court together.

"Your Majesty, 100,000 troops from the capital have arrived in Datong Prefecture, and General Ling Luoshi is leading 150,000 troops towards the Yalu River!"

"Your Majesty, General Qi Jingtong has completed the logistics and supplies, and the Ming Navy fleet has already set sail for Korea!"

Upon hearing this news, the faces of the officials present who opposed sending troops immediately turned very ugly.

Ling Luoshi has led a large army to Korea by land, while Qi Jingtong has also led the Ming navy, carrying supplies and equipment, to Korea by water.

The Ming army is already almost at the doorstep of Joseon, so anything they say is futile.

This time, Zhu Houzhao bypassed them and directly issued orders to the army and the national treasury.

Upon hearing these two pieces of news, Zhu Houzhao finally came to his senses. He hadn't listened at all when the doves and hawks were arguing.

At this moment, he simply said to Zhang Sheng, the Minister of Rites, "Zhang Sheng, your Ministry of Rites is responsible for drafting a declaration of war and sending it to Korea."

"Don't let North Korea say that I launched a war without declaring war, and that I will lose face."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhang Sheng reluctantly agreed. Since things had already developed to this point, what else could the Ministry of Rites say?

Moreover, with the army about to enter North Korean territory, issuing a declaration of war at this point would leave North Korea with insufficient time to respond.

After the court session ended, the Ministry of Rites quickly drafted a declaration of war.

And it was sent by special scouts on an urgent mission, without stopping for a moment, to Seoul, the capital of Korea.

Under the urgent delivery of the 800-li express courier, this declaration of war was delivered to King Yi Guai of Joseon in less than a week.

Inside the Changdeok Palace of the Joseon Dynasty, King Lee Guai sat on his throne, his hands trembling as he received the letter of challenge from the scout.

Li Guai asked incredulously, "Are you sure you didn't hear wrong? This really is a declaration of war from the Ming Dynasty?"

The Korean scout, looking like he was about to cry, replied, "Your Highness, it really is a declaration of war. I didn't mishear."

"That's what he told me when I received the challenge from the Ming envoy."

Li Guai frowned deeply, his heart was pounding, and his legs were starting to feel weak.

This is a challenge from the Ming Dynasty! Do they, Joseon, really have the strength to fight against the Ming Dynasty?

Moreover, shouldn't Cheng Xiyan be on a diplomatic mission to the Ming Dynasty right now?

What exactly did Cheng Xiyan do in the Ming Dynasty that made them so eager to issue a declaration of war against them?

Li Guai controlled his trembling hands, opened the envelope, and took out the challenge letter inside.

At first glance, Li Guai was so terrified he almost fainted.

He wasn't mistaken; this was indeed a declaration of war, a declaration of war issued by the Ming Dynasty to Korea!

The next moment, Lee Guai frantically shouted in all directions, "Quickly call President Park over! Quickly call Sergeant Yoo over!"

"It's Your Highness, it's Your Highness! We'll go and fetch him right away!"

The other eunuchs in the hall, seeing that Li Guai, who had always been calm and gentle, had suddenly changed his temperament, shouted loudly.

They were also frightened by Lee Yeok's terrified state and hurriedly went to fetch Park Won-jong and Yoo Soon-jeong to see Lee Yeok.

One of them is the current Chief Councilor, and the other is the current Military Judge; one is in charge of civil officials, and the other controls military power.

They are the two generals who truly hold power in the current court.

When Park Won-jong and Ryu Soon-jeong heard the news that the Ming Dynasty had sent a declaration of war to Joseon, their expressions were no better than Lee Guai's.

For a moment, they were both slightly stunned, unable to believe that what they were hearing was real.

Only after confirming the news did they hurriedly rush to Changdeokgung Palace.

"Your Highness, is this...is this real?"

"The Ming Dynasty has truly submitted a declaration of war to our country."

Park Won-jong's face turned pale, and he kept shaking his head gently, hoping to hear a negative answer from Lee Guai's mouth.

To his disappointment, Li Guai nodded at him with a bitter expression.

"It's absolutely true, this is the Ming Dynasty's declaration of war. Take a look."

Park Won-jong took the challenge letter from Lee Guai and began to read it with Yoo Soon-jung.

After reading it, Park Won-jong and Yoo Soon-jung visibly panicked.

"How could this happen?"

"How did His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty know that we were the ones who placed Li under house arrest?"

"Could it be that one of us leaked the information?"

Liu Shunting's face was deathly pale, and her hands were trembling with fear.

Yeonsan-gun was a title that was demoted after the Yi dynasty was overthrown.

Park Won-jong, however, thought even more deeply: "The key point is, even if he knew it was a coup, he shouldn't have gone to such lengths to launch a military attack on Korea!"

"This—this is of no benefit to the Ming Dynasty!"

"Could it be that—"

At this point, Park Won-jong's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly.

"Is it because of the princess Li Shouyi who was sent to the Ming Dynasty for a political marriage?"

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