Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

Chapter 111 A Battle of Wits Among Ministers: Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong Speechless!

"Fourth brother!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Di standing in the center of the hall and felt his head buzzing.

"Fourth brother, don't be silly."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao's expression changed drastically, fearing that Zhu Di might cause another major incident on the first day of the sixth year of Hongwu's reign.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"I am not being unreasonable."

Zhu Di gave a lukewarm reply, his gaze remaining fixed on the imperial throne.

Only then did all the civil and military officials in the hall realize that the Prince of Yan seemed to have something important to discuss at the New Year's Grand Court Meeting.

"Mao Xiang".

"Report the recent battle situation in Liaodong to His Majesty and the Crown Prince."

"Yes."

Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, dressed in a bright flying fish robe, stepped forward and announced loudly, "Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Last October, Goryeo dispatched 100,000 troops to march north and west in a major offensive."

"They successively captured parts of Hening Prefecture and Dongning Prefecture, and their forces have reached the Yalu River."

"Nahachu gathered his cavalry and raided Dingliaoduwei dozens of times, capturing no fewer than 10,000 people and taking countless grains, cattle, and sheep."

What?

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all the civil and military officials in the court changed drastically.

The Ming Dynasty declared that it would inherit the legal system of the Yuan Dynasty. Not to mention Liaoyang Province, even the Zhengdong Province, where Goryeo was located, should be their territory.

Now, Goryeo has not sent envoys to pay homage to the Ming Emperor, but has instead sent troops to attack and seize Liaoyang Province, the land south of the Yalu River. This is a blatant provocation against the Ming Dynasty.

As Nahachu continues to plunder Dingliaoduwei, the only administrative center established by the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong will inevitably fall due to the ebb and flow of power.

At that time, this ancestral land of the Han people in Liaodong will probably be divided between the Tartars and the Koreans. This is intolerable!

"His Majesty."

"The Koreans have treacherous ambitions; we must be wary!"

"Naha is utterly incorrigible and should be severely punished!"

Grand Commander Xu Da was the first to step forward and solemnly said.

"This humble general secondes it!"

Wang Baobao, the commander of the vanguard army, Li Wenzhong, the commander of the central army, Feng Sheng, the commander of the left army, and Deng Yu, the commander of the right army, all rose from this background.

"This humble general secondes it!"

All the military officers present, whether they were the resentful generals of Huaixi or newly promoted officers, stood up to express their opinions.

Scholars died remonstrating, and warriors died fighting; if they had turned a blind eye to Liaodong, they would have truly deserved to die.

"Crown Prince."

What do you think?

Instead of directly responding to the military generals, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Zhu Biao for his opinion.

"Father."

Zhu Biao began, “Last year, our dynasty launched a massive northern expedition with an army of 150,000. Thanks to the blessings of heaven and earth and the unity of our soldiers, we annihilated the Northern Yuan dynasty in one fell swoop, and took over the Hexi Corridor, the northern desert, the southern desert, and the northern court, establishing garrisons and military settlements for defense.”

"Currently, the imperial treasury is empty, and there are no elite troops available."

"Moreover, Liaodong is bitterly cold. If southern troops were to march north, they might not be able to adapt and would instead become a burden to the Dingliao Garrison."

"Your subject believes that this matter should be postponed, and we should consider all aspects before taking military action."

"Perhaps we could send envoys to rebuke Goryeo and order them to return to their homeland."

"Your Highness is right."

South Korean official Lee Sun-jang made a direct statement.

"Indeed, war is fraught with peril and danger; we must be vigilant!"

"The situation in Liaodong requires careful consideration!"

A group of civil officials expressed their support for Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, and was still undergoing major internal adjustments. Launching the Liaodong Campaign would be tantamount to destroying its own Great Wall.

Among the crowd, Hu Weiyong, the Right Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, Liu Bowen, the Imperial Censor, and others remained silent, observing without uttering a word.

"Fourth brother."

"What did you say?"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his attention to Zhu Di, his fourth son who had deliberately created problems and was giving him a real headache.

On the first day of the sixth year of Hongwu (1373 BC), Zhu Di pulled this stunt on everyone, which was truly indescribable.

"Let me ask you gentlemen a question."

"Do you know what the current situation is like in Goryeo?"

Prince Yan, Zhu Di, stood with his hands behind his back, scrutinizing the civil officials present, including Li Shanchang.

"this...

'

The civil officials were all speechless. How could they possibly know what was happening in Goryeo, thousands of miles away? They had only learned about the situation in Liaodong from Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Those who stand in this Fengtian Hall are all people of the clouds."

"Perhaps in your hearts, as long as Shanhaiguan Pass is not breached, Hebei will not be in danger."

"So, whether Nahachu in Liaodong is annihilated or surrenders, it seems there is no difference."

"But that is thousands of miles away, in a place you cannot see or hear."

"There are hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians guarding the border there. Aren't they also subjects of our Great Ming?"

"Our Han dynasty lost Liaodong for more than six hundred years, which is nearly two hundred years longer than the loss of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."

"If even the people of the North are filled with confusion and uncertainty about the Ming Dynasty, what about the people of Liaodong?"

"Is Liaodong not part of our Han homeland?"

The resounding words echoed throughout the entire hall, resonating powerfully and thought-provokingly.

Whether military generals or civil officials, they all fell silent, their minds uneasy.

"I will tell you what the situation is like in Goryeo."

Looking around at his ministers, Zhu Di coldly said, "The Wang family has ruled Goryeo for 454 years, and their people number in the millions."

"King Jeon of Goryeo was the 31st monarch of Goryeo. As a young man, he was a hostage in the Yuan Dynasty for ten years and married Botashiri, a member of the Yuan Dynasty's royal family."

"In the early years of his reign, he strived to reform long-standing problems and revitalize Goryeo. Taking advantage of the peasant uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he eliminated the pro-Yuan forces led by Ki Cheol, broke free from the control of the Yuan Dynasty, and expanded the territory to the north, bringing the country to its peak of power."

"Wang Jeon appointed capable ministers such as Yi Seong-gye and Choi Young to pacify the country. Yi Seong-gye quelled the Red Turban Rebellion and defeated Nahachu multiple times. In the third year of Hongwu (1370), he led 5,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry across the Yalu River from the northeast to attack Dongning Prefecture, and once reached Liaoyang."

Naha said to Yi Seong-gye: "You are young but your military strategy is divine. You are a true genius and will be entrusted with great affairs for your country."

"This year, Goryeo did not send any envoys to pay tribute, because they were busy expanding their territory."

"The events of the Sui and Tang dynasties are still vivid in our minds. How could Goryeo easily believe our Ming Dynasty's claim that it is a country that will not be conquered?"

"At present, Goryeo will surely join forces with the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty to wipe out the only Dingliao Garrison of our Great Ming in Liaodong."

"Duke of Han, I would like to ask, is this the Confucian and Mencian doctrine you have all been studying?"

Boom!

The moment those words were spoken, the entire hall was astonished.

Li Shanchang's wrinkled old face couldn't hold back any longer; Zhu Di's words were undoubtedly a direct insult directed at him.

Not only him, but Zhu Yuanzhang on the throne also looked displeased. In the second year of Hongwu (1369), he sent envoys to proclaim that Goryeo was listed as one of the fifteen countries that would not be conquered. He promised not to take the initiative to launch a military campaign against Goryeo, but only to ask for tribute. The Ming Dynasty recognized the legitimacy of Goryeo and would not interfere in its internal affairs.

In just three short years, Goryeo has stopped sending envoys to pay tribute, which is tantamount to humiliating the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, is utterly mistaken!"

Hu Weiyong had no choice but to stand up for Li Shanchang and loudly refute Zhu Di: "There are millions of people under the rule of my Great Ming Dynasty."

"The territory is vast, stretching far beyond ten thousand miles. If Liaodong is taken care of, what about the other provinces?"

"The deployment of 150,000 elite troops for the northern expedition has exhausted the Ming Dynasty's reserves accumulated over several years."

"If we were to wage war against Liaodong, and Goryeo and Nahachu colluded, how many troops would our Great Ming need to mobilize?"

"The most important matters of the state are sacrifice and war. Your Highness's words immediately demand the full strength of the Ming Dynasty."

"hehe!"

Zhu Di chuckled and said sarcastically, "So that's how you, Lord Hu, see it."

"Our Ming army lacks strategy and tactics; both sides can only defend Shanhaiguan Pass and hack and slash at each other face to face, isn't that right?"

"brush!!!"

All the military officers and nobles in the hall turned to look at Hu Weiyong.

Hu Weiyong felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, and stood there uneasy, not daring to say another word. He was certain that he did not understand military strategy.

"Fourth brother, get to the point."

Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted Zhu Di in time, saying that if Zhu Di continued, the civil officials, the crown prince, and the emperor would lose face.

"it is good."

Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang, then shifted his attention from the assembled officials and spoke again: "I am aware of the nation's insufficient strength."

"However, Liaodong cannot be ignored; tolerating Goryeo would be a crime against the northeastern border of our Great Ming."

"Over the years, the Dingliao Garrison has been unable to sustain itself on its own, and can only barely survive by relying on the supply of grain and supplies from Shandong."

"Liaodong has a vast territory of thousands of miles, rich in resources, and can grow rice, wheat, beans and other grains."

"The only difficulty lies in facing the daily and yearly harassment and plundering by the remnants of the Yuan dynasty, which makes progress extremely difficult."

"Therefore, the campaign to manage Liaodong should not involve large-scale warfare, nor is it necessary to mobilize tens of thousands of troops."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of all the officials in the hall gleamed.

If we don't use a large army, how can we manage Liaodong?

"Someone, fetch the map!"

Zhu Di waved his hand, and dozens of Imperial Guards placed a map of Liaodong in the center of Fengtian Hall.

The map clearly marks mountains, rivers, swamps, and cities, providing a complete picture that is truly astonishing.

Generals like Xu Da and Li Wenzhong, who were seasoned warriors, were secretly astonished, for such a clear map was truly a powerful tool for warfare.

Only Wang Baobao remained silent, because this map was the result of ten years of work by the scouts in the north.

Why does Nahachu occupy the upper reaches of the Liao River?

"It is because once the middle and lower reaches of the Liao River enter the flood season, the water volume surges, forming a continuous swamp with large pools and small pools, large depressions and small depressions. The silt is knee-deep and the mud is extremely difficult to walk on. In the pre-Qin period, it was called Liaoze, which has long hindered the north-south travel."

"The banks of the Liao River are flat and open, allowing Mongol cavalry to roam freely, with no natural defenses."

"Our Great Ming Dynasty naturally cannot build cities and cultivate land in these places. It would be better to abandon them as natural barriers to block the remnants of the Yuan army from advancing south."

"Um."

The generals listened with great interest and nodded in agreement.

"The fourth child has grown up!"

Looking at Zhu Di, who was speaking confidently and authoritatively in front of everyone, Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with mixed emotions.

"Is this still my mischievous fourth brother?"

Zhu Biao's eyes widened. Zhu Di was now showing a side that was no less impressive than that of Xu Da, the Duke of Wei.

PS: Liaoze was a large marshland in the middle and lower reaches of the Liao River in history, roughly located in the area surrounded by the six places of Beizhen, Panshan, Dawa, Tai'an, Liaozhong and Xinmin today.

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