The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Jia Lian arrived in Tianjin at midnight that night.

The fourth prince arrived two days later at noon, accompanied by a group of officials.

In the past two days, Jia Lian has completed all the preparations.

With provisions stored in the granaries, troops were ready to board ships.

All kinds of shells have also been stored away.

So when the Fourth Prince stood on the top deck of the Zhenyuan warship, what he saw was an endless sea of ​​warships stretching out on the surface of the ocean, like mountains and seas.

And the countless armored soldiers standing on the warships, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Upon witnessing such an unprecedentedly grand scene, the Fourth Prince was so excited that his face turned red.

He turned around, grabbed Jia Lian's hand, and said, "Brother Wang, the warships you built are simply amazing."

This is the scene I've always dreamed of.

Let me make a deal with you. Anyway, Father isn't around right now, so he can't control us.

Take me to North Korea for a visit.

I promise I will follow your instructions completely along the way and will not affect your plans.

Jia Lian calmly brushed aside the Fourth Prince's hand and shook his head, saying, "The Crown Prince should know that this is impossible."

"why?"

"No reason."

The Fourth Prince certainly knew why; it was just what Chief Minister Zhao and others had said—the idea that a son of a wealthy family shouldn't sit under a dangerous roof.

But he didn't believe it.

Jia Lian was also of noble status, and he was able to lead troops into battle every year without any accidents happening to him.

Seeing that Jia Lian wouldn't even bother to explain, the Fourth Prince became angry and questioned, "Jia Lian, no, Wei Lian! I am the Crown Prince!"

"I know."

"Since I am the crown prince, shouldn't you listen to me?"

"Yes……"

"In that case, I command you to take me with you after the oath-taking ceremony tomorrow. The two of us brothers will help Korea and strike hard against those Japanese devils."

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow: "Your subject refuses. When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders."

"you……"

The fourth prince jumped up, pointed at Jia Lian's nose, and seemed about to start cursing.

Finally, she softened and grabbed Jia Lian's arm, pleading, "Please, Brother Wang, take me with you."

Hmph, if you don't take me, I'll just follow along myself.

I don't believe your men would dare to kick me off the ship!
From this day forward, I'm sticking with you.

Seeing the Fourth Prince acting like a rogue, Jia Lian smiled and turned to his generals, saying, "All generals, listen to my command, disembark and transfer to the flagship."

The generals smiled and accepted the order, but none of them moved.

They all knew that Jia Lian was joking, expressing his attitude of not being coerced by the Crown Prince.

The fourth prince looked at Jia Lian with deep resentment and bitterness.

Jia Lian sighed and said, "Fourth brother, please don't blame your elder brother for being heartless."

Let's not even talk about the heavy responsibility you bear as regent.

Since His Majesty is currently unwell, neither of us brothers can both leave; one of us must remain in the capital.

I believe you understand this even without me saying it.

Upon hearing this, the fourth prince's resentment subsided somewhat, but he was still unconvinced: "Since one of us has to stay, why can't it be you?"

The civil and military officials around them all rolled their eyes inwardly.

Because Jia Lian was leading the troops, the generals were confident of victory in this battle.

The civil officials also had considerable confidence in the safety of the 50,000-strong army.

But if the fourth prince were to command the troops, that confidence would probably drop by 80% immediately!

Jia Lian naturally wouldn't say that the Fourth Prince was incompetent; he only said, "Because you are the Crown Prince, the heir apparent, and the foundation of the country, you must stay."

The fourth prince took a deep breath and glanced at the expressions of everyone around him.

He wasn't truly stupid; how could he not understand that, given the circumstances, Jia Lian would never allow him to join the army?

In fact, the imperial court sent Prince Teng to be in charge of this oath-taking ceremony.

He took advantage of his elder sister's inattention and quietly followed Prince Teng with his personal guards.

Prince Teng had no choice but to send someone back to the capital to report the news. The court couldn't easily bring him back, and since the Crown Prince's rewarding of the army showed more importance than the cabinet's, it wasn't considered a mistake.

So they sent more troops to escort the fourth prince over.

However, Princess Zhaoyang knew the Fourth Prince's character and had long anticipated that he would cause such a scene. She had instructed Prince Teng and others in advance that after the swearing-in ceremony and rewarding the army, they must bring the Crown Prince back safely.

So even if Jia Lian agreed to take the Fourth Prince to sea, Wang Ziteng and others would still try to stop him.

"Brother, if I weren't the Crown Prince, would you have taken me with you to sail the seas this time?"

The fourth prince asked quite seriously.

And his gaze was fixed on Jia Lian.

Seeing the Fourth Prince's seriousness, Jia Lian couldn't be perfunctory. After thinking carefully, he said sincerely, "Although this time it's not possible."

But if the opportunity arises again, I would certainly do so.

Jia Lian could actually understand the Fourth Prince's desire to go on the expedition with him.

Because Princess Zhaoyang's wish was equally strong.

However, Emperor Ningkang had just entrusted the military power in the capital region to the two of them, and it was impossible for them to leave the capital completely, otherwise who knows what changes might occur.

Princess Zhaoyang said that when the fourth prince is able to stand on his own and truly secures his position, that will be the time to wait until he is able to take charge.

If such an opportunity arises again, she will definitely go to war with Jia Lian to fulfill her greatest wish since childhood.

The two siblings seemed to have an inexplicable longing for the battlefield.

However, Princess Zhaoyang and the Fourth Prince, who simply wanted to go out and have fun, were different.

She might genuinely want to do something for the country and the court, ideally with the person she loves.

She really liked the folk tales that told the story of how Jia Lian, all alone, escorted her back to Han territory.

She hoped to create more such anecdotes with Jia Lian.

Hearing that Jia Lian didn't give him a vague answer but instead answered his question seriously, the Fourth Prince was finally somewhat satisfied.

He looked up at the soldiers in their armored formations in the distance and said with a resolute gaze, "Brother Wang, remember what you said today."

……

The fourth prince eventually returned.

After rewarding the troops on behalf of the imperial court, he returned to the capital with Prince Teng.

Jia Lian, on the other hand, led an army of 50,000 men and hundreds of warships of various sizes out to sea, speeding toward the Korean Peninsula.

Because of the experience from the last time, this voyage was much more organized and methodical.

Although we have encountered storms in recent days, we have escaped unharmed.

The largest incident involved an empty, old-fashioned warship that was capsized by a giant wave and sank into the sea.

However, the few crew members on board were eventually rescued, and there were no casualties.

Two weeks later, the fleet had already approached the Korean Peninsula.

However, Jia Lian was not in a hurry to go to the capital to fight. Instead, he ordered the fleet to stay in the deep sea and not to come ashore.

After this went on for quite some time, the Korean envoys became increasingly restless.

He again demanded to board the ship and see Jia Lian, shouting that he would not give up until he saw Jia Lian.

And just as he was making a fuss.

In the conference room on the second floor of the Zhenyuan warship, Jia Lian had already gathered his generals to discuss the plan for entering Korea.

"Your Highness, after days of investigation, we have basically confirmed it."

The Korean army had long been routed by the Japanese invaders.

Now, the Japanese invaders have even laid siege to his capital.

If our army does not come to our aid soon, I fear the Joseon Dynasty will be utterly destroyed.

When the generals brought up this topic, they all looked relaxed.

They all knew that if their prince truly wanted to save the Li dynasty, he wouldn't have lingered at sea for so long.

Furthermore, they would never invite the Korean envoy to any important meeting.

His own lord clearly had his own plans. Just after all parties confirmed the battle situation was correct, a personal guard came to report that the Korean envoy requested an audience with Jia Lian.

He even said that if Jia Lian didn't see him again, he would jump off the boat.

"Then let him jump."

"That old bastard, I don't believe he has the guts."

"Hahaha."

This was a mockery from the generals, and Jia Lian naturally wouldn't issue an order like that.

However, he also laughed: "His arrival is just in time. After all, we are going to fight in his hometown, so we should listen to his opinion."

Bring him here.

The Korean envoy entered and immediately bowed to Jia Lian, saying, "This foreign subject greets the King of Pingliao."

"My esteemed envoy, there's no need for such formalities. Please take a seat."

The Korean envoy did not take a seat, but immediately asked anxiously: "May I ask King Pingliao, why is he delaying in sending his army to land and wipe out the Japanese pirates?"

Now the Japanese invaders are at the gates of our capital, and our king is in grave danger.

If your army does not take action soon, I fear all will be lost.

Jia Lian raised his hand: "My worthy envoy, please don't be anxious."

There is an old Chinese saying: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Our troops have just entered this precious land and are unfamiliar with the people and the place. If we rashly land, we may fall into the trap of the Japanese invaders.

We have now gathered all the information and are preparing to send troops to rescue the King of Joseon.

The reason for summoning this envoy is to discuss the battle plan.

The Korean envoy was overjoyed upon hearing this. After expressing his gratitude, he immediately inquired about Jia Lian and the others' battle plan.

They learned that Jia Lian wanted to cut off the Japanese pirates' retreat and annihilate their main force once and for all.

Although he felt that Jia Lian was somewhat arrogant, he still immediately offered his advice.

"Since Your Highness is so confident, why not land here?"

This place is not only the largest port in our country, but it is also not far from our capital.

"In this way, once your army lands, you can easily locate the main force of the Japanese pirates and annihilate them in one fell swoop."

The Korean envoy pointed to a port on the map that was closest to the Korean capital.

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian shook his head and directly rejected the idea:
"No.

Since this is the largest port, the Japanese could not possibly ignore it.

Based on the information we have received, the Japanese clearly already know that our dynasty is preparing to rescue you.

That's why they're so eager to attack your capital; they clearly want to annihilate you completely before our army arrives.

Now I fear this port has already fallen into the hands of the Japanese.

If our army chooses to land here, we fear we will fall into an ambush by the Japanese invaders.

Moreover, this place is on the flank of your capital. If our army were to launch an attack on the Japanese from this location...

Once the Japanese invaders are no match for our army, they will inevitably flee south.

In doing so, not only will we lose the opportunity to annihilate the Japanese invaders in one fell swoop, but the people of your Korean state will also be poisoned by the insane Japanese invaders.

The State of Korea was a vassal state of our dynasty, and the people of Korea were also vassals of our dynasty.

"I absolutely cannot allow the people of Korea to be slaughtered by these Japanese invaders!"

The Korean envoy was taken aback, then quickly said, "Your Highness is very righteous. My king and my people will forever remember Your Highness's kindness."

"I wonder, if the Prince doesn't land here, where will he choose to go?"

Jia Lian pointed to a spot in the lower part of the Korean map and asked, "What place is this?"

The Korean envoy examined the place carefully and said, "This place is called 'Incheon,' but it is just a small border town with a population of a thousand households."

Jia Lian's eyes lit up: "Good, I've decided, our main force will land here!"

The Korean envoy panicked and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, you mustn't!"

This place is far from our capital. If your army lands here, our capital will likely fall before we even encounter the Japanese invaders!

Jia Lian solemnly said, "Your words, sir, may well be underestimating your country's soldiers."

Although this is my first time setting foot in Korea, I had already heard of the power of your Yi Dynasty back in the capital.

Everyone says that you have hundreds of thousands of strong soldiers, second only to our dynasty.

"Can't even hundreds of thousands of troops hold your capital for a few days?"

"This……"

The North Korean envoy looked embarrassed.

That's an army of hundreds of thousands of people.

That's just bragging, don't you know?

You people from the Great Wei Dynasty don't talk big, do you?

You still frequently claim to have millions of troops!
It's common knowledge that various foreign kingdoms are exaggerating their military strength.

For powerful states like the Great Wei and the Tatars, it doesn't matter whether the reports are exaggerated or not.

But for Xiaobang, it's not an exaggeration.

For example, if you have 50,000 troops, you just say 50,000, and others will think that 50,000 is an exaggeration.

What if everyone thinks you're easy to bully and comes to attack you?
"The Japanese pirates are cunning, and I'm afraid our army cannot withstand them... I implore Your Highness to rescue my king as soon as possible..."

Jia Lian nodded and said, "Your Excellency need not worry."

No matter how strong the Japanese are, they certainly won't be able to take your capital in a short time.

My plan is also to help you eliminate the Japanese invaders as soon as possible.

You see, if our army lands at Incheon, and then advances eastward with lightning speed, we can hold all the passes.

Then we can cut off the Japanese invaders from the north and south, making it impossible for them to attend to both ends.

Then our army will continue northward, joining forces with your country's army to launch a pincer attack from the north and south, and we will have no worry about not being able to completely annihilate the main force of the Japanese invaders.

In this way, the outcome can be decided in one battle.

I hope that a wise and capable person will understand my intentions.

After listening to Jia Lian's words and looking at the map again, the Korean envoy realized that this was indeed the case.

Now that the Japanese pirates have penetrated deep into enemy territory, if the Wei army can truly sever their waist...

Then, together with their own troops, they would launch a pincer attack from the north and south.

No matter how strong the Japanese pirates were, they could only flee in terror.

However, a month had passed since he was sent as an envoy to the Great Wei, and he had no idea what the situation was like back home.

If the capital cannot be defended, wouldn't their Li Dynasty be finished?

When the Korean envoy remained silent, Jia Lian took it as tacit agreement and began to formally issue the combat orders.

Upon seeing the generals of the Great Wei army, all of them were in high spirits and seemed confident after receiving their mission, which gave the Korean envoy a sense of renewed confidence.

They felt that with the capital city's high walls and thick fortifications, it might be able to hold out for some time.

Having made up his mind, the Korean envoy said, "Your Highness's plan is very sound, but I am worried that my king is unaware of Your Highness's plan."

Seeing that reinforcements were slow to arrive, he feared that morale in the army would waver.

Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to arrange a ship so that I may send someone back to the capital to inform Your Majesty of your army's plan, so that Your Majesty may defend the city.

"In this way, once Your Highness has severed the Japanese pirates in two, my king can then send troops to join forces with Your Highness in a pincer attack from the north and south, annihilating the Japanese pirates in one fell swoop."

Jia Lian readily agreed.

Seeing that all the generals had gone down to assign tasks, Jia Lian personally escorted him out of the warehouse.

During their conversation, Jia Lian suddenly asked, "By the way, I heard that your name is 'Li Yaochen'?"

The Korean envoy was taken aback, but still replied humbly, "Your Highness, this is my name."

Since he was selected to go to the Great Wei to seek reinforcements, his Chinese must be passable.

Jia Lian laughed and asked, "Who is Yi Sun-sin to you?"

The North Korean envoy was taken aback again: "He is my younger brother, and he is now a general in the army."

"Could it be that Your Highness has heard of him?"

Jia Lian nodded, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "You can have him come to see me when there's a chance in the future."

Li Yaochen quickly bowed and said, "It is his honor." (End of this chapter)