Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

In Pidao, Mao Wenlong was indeed very annoyed that Cui Nanyi was given the title of Jigangbo.

He had made countless contributions since he joined the army in the 33rd year of the Wanli reign, but he was still only a viscount with a fief of 200 li.

However, Cui Nanyi was awarded the title of earl and a fiefdom of 300 li for his achievement of shooting Hauge.

How could he not feel annoyed? He was filled with anger.

"If I had known that I could be granted a title by killing the flag owner, I would have found a way to ambush and kill him."

"It's not like now. From now on, I have to call him Uncle!"

Thinking that Cijiang Territory was just to the east of Dongjiang Territory, very close to him.

Then he thought that Choi Nam-yi was just a young Korean, but he had to call him "Uncle".

Mao Wenlong's face turned green and he didn't want to mention the matter anymore.

But he couldn't avoid Cui Nanyi, because Cijiangling was also on the east bank of the Yalu River. As long as Cui Nanyi trained his troops in the future, he could march towards Kuandian Liubao and Hetuala.

This means that Cijiang Territory is likely to become a base for the imperial court to send troops to harass the Jianlu, just like Dongjiang Territory.

The status of Dongjiang Ling will decline in the future, and he will no longer be the only one serving the imperial court.

This made Mao Wenlong sigh from the bottom of his heart:

"Your Majesty is truly amazing!"

"They both value me and are wary of me."

"First, a brigade was sent from Dongjiang Town to Lushun, and then I was asked to take my trusted men to open up the Dongjiang Territory."

"It is not enough to divide Dongjiang Town into two groups now, we also need to employ a Korean."

"If I don't make any more achievements, won't I just be forgotten by everyone?"

Like Sun Chengzong, You Shilu and others in Liaodong, Mao Wenlong felt a sense of crisis.

The emperor certainly valued these veteran generals, and titles and official positions came to them one after another.

But a new generation of generals is also being promoted, and even training of new troops has begun.

If they don't perform well and make the emperor realize their importance, it is estimated that once the new recruits and generals are trained, it will be their end.

It was under such circumstances that Chen Zizhuang was sent to Jiaodao to ask Hong Chengchou what his plans were.

The Dongjiang military and civilians also shared the same idea as Mao Wenlong.

These refugees who escaped from Liaodong were full of hope and looked forward to building their homes after they came ashore and were allocated land at the beginning of the year.

As a result, their home was built, but it also attracted the covetousness of the Jianlu. Their home was destroyed again, and even nearly half of the crops they cultivated were robbed.

Now that they have retreated to Pi Island again and live in this small island, many people feel that this year is just a dream. After they wake up from the dream, nothing has changed.

This made some people lose their will, while others hated the Jianlu even more.

It would have been fine if they didn't have it before, but the feeling of losing it again after having it makes them heartbroken.

There was a constant stream of calls for war on Pi Island, especially when a message came from the imperial court asking whether they wanted to retreat to Denglai.

"Retreat to Denglai?"

"What kind of joke is this?"

"I have never retreated since I came to Pi Island in the second year of Tianqi."

"If I retreat to Denglai, what will happen to my Dongjiang Territory?"

Looking at the suggestions from the court, Mao Wenlong said to Li Jiuchen, Chen Youshi and others.

Not to mention that he now has the fief of Dongjiang Territory, even if he didn't have Dongjiang Territory, he would not retreat to Denglai.

In Pi Island, he was the general of Dongjiang Town and the admiral of Liaonan appointed by the current emperor. After retreating to Denglai, the general of Denglai would not give in to him.

Maybe they will recruit his soldiers away, leaving him alone.

Li Jiuchen and others were also unwilling to retreat to Denglai, because the troops of Dongjiang Town were also their basis for achieving success.

After Cui Nanyi shot and killed Haoge and was named Earl, he and many generals in Dongjiang Town set their sights on the high-ranking officials of the Eight Banners on the bounty card, hoping to kill one of them in the future so that they could obtain the title and fiefdom.

Shen Shikui, who was brought over from Gwanghae to help resettle the soldiers and civilians, said:
"Marshal, the court is only making suggestions, asking whether we can hold on and whether we will fall like Juehua Island did."

"Pi Island is so close to the land, and the sea freezes in winter. It is indeed possible that the Jianlu could attack us along the ice."

"The Jianlu army is now in Korea. To be on the safe side, you can withdraw your troops first."

"Even if we don't withdraw Deungnae, we can withdraw Gwanghae-ryong."

Gwanghaelyung is Jeju Island, which is far away from the land.

One of the arrangements made by the imperial court for the Korean monarch and his ministers was to withdraw from there.

Now Shen Shikui has the same idea and wants to settle the Dongjiang military and civilians on Jeju Island.

Mao Wenlong was furious when he heard this and shouted:
"Are you trying to disrupt our army's morale?"

"It's not like the Jianlu have never attacked before. Who have we in Dongjiang Town ever been afraid of?"

"Don't mention this again. Anyone who dares to disrupt the morale of the army will be killed!"

Shen Shikui wanted to say something else, but seeing Mao Wenlong's expression he had to stop and no longer persuade Mao Wenlong to evacuate from Pi Island.

However, the sea surface of Pi Island does freeze in winter, and when the weather is extremely cold, the sea surface will even be completely frozen.

We must consider the possibility that the Jianlu will attack Pi Island just as they attacked Juehua Island. This is an imminent threat.

If they turned a deaf ear, the sea surface of Pi Island would freeze over, and they would not be able to retreat, and the imperial troops would not be able to come over.

Shen Shikui suggested:

"The court also sent a summary of the Daling River defense battle. If we don't withdraw, we need to repair our defenses."

"When the Jianlu troops withdraw, they may attack Pi Island at the same time."

Mao Wenlong was annoyed and said impatiently:
"Defense, defense, is that all you think about?"

"I never thought of sending troops to fight against the Jianlu!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals looked at each other in bewilderment.

In fact, Dongjiang Town rarely engages in direct combat with the Jianlu. They only carry out harassment.

If they hadn't had the Dongjiang Commander this year, they wouldn't have defended the city, but would have hidden on Pi Island when the Jianlu attacked.

Unexpectedly, Mao Wenlong now wants them to attack instead of just defending.

This made many generals uncomfortable, but it also suited the taste of some people. Li Jiucheng said:

"The Marshal was able to capture Zhenjiang with 192 men."

"With the general leading us in the battle, it will be no problem for us to capture Yizhou and Zhenjiang."

"The things that the Jianlu looted from Korea are now in these two cities. We can take them back and make another achievement."

Saving the Korean people and recovering the looted materials were all achievements recognized by the court. Many Dongjiang Town generals who wanted to be awarded titles were eager to go ashore.

They believed that they could also accomplish the same feats that the Korean volunteers could accomplish.

When Mao Wenlong heard Li Jiuchen mention the proud things he had done in the past, he stroked his beard happily.

He even thought about the current garrison of Yizhou, and felt that if he could cut off the heads of the 2,000 Jianlu who were left behind, he would at least be able to be granted the title of Earl.

He had previously obtained more than 2,800 heads that had been inspected by the court, and he had brought back more than 200 heads during his raids on Liaodong in the past few months. Adding the 2,000 heads, that's 5,000 heads, enough to earn him a barony according to the bounty offered by the court to Koreans.

So in his heart, he was already inclined to take risks.
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Just at this time, Chen Zizhuang, who went to Jiao Island to ask Hong Chengchou for instructions, also returned to Pi Island with Hong Chengchou's orders.

Hearing that Hong Chengchou wanted him to capture Yizhou and hold it to suffocate the Jianlu to death in Korea, Mao Wenlong was delighted at first, but then frowned and said:

"I am somewhat confident that we can capture Yizhou, but defending it and preventing the Jianlu from crossing the river will be too difficult."

"Yizhou City is not big, and the nearby Baima Mountain City is more suitable for defense."

"But you know what the mountain city is. If we defend it, we can hardly get out, let alone stop the Jianlu from crossing the river."

"When the Yalu River freezes over, the Jianlu can cross it anywhere they want."

Chen Zizhuang said:
"It doesn't matter!"

"Marshal Hong has given us the task of taking down Yizhou and defending it."

"For other matters, Marshal Hong will find another way."

Mao Wenlong frowned at this, and really didn't like the feeling of being kept in suspense.

This made him feel that he had lost his initiative and was just one of the many generals at the mercy of the civil officials.

So he said unhappily:
"We can take Yizhou, but defending the city is another matter."

"Isn't Yang Yufan good at defending the city? Let him follow."

"Our troops will go to the mountains of Liaodong and Dongjiang Territory to harass the Jianlu."

This means that he is not going to fully execute Hong Chengchou's order, which gives Chen Zizhuang a headache.

After all, after six months of fighting, he had established some prestige in Dongjiang County, and finally persuaded Mao Wenlong to send 3,000 soldiers to defend Yizhou City together with Yang Yufan.

He decided to personally take charge of the city and carry out Hong Chengchou's orders.

The soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town were very supportive of this. After owning the vast land on the mainland, they could no longer bear to live in Pi Island.

Mao Wenlong almost got a hundred responses to his call. In addition to the original 20,000 troops, there were also 30,000 militiamen who wanted to go out together.

Hong Chengchou also allocated 3,000 muskets that the court had discarded from the imperial camp and the new army, and dispatched an artillery squadron to help attack and defend the city.

With this support, Mao Wenlong's confidence increased greatly. He did not attack Dudu who was watching Pi Island from Tieshan, but played a trick, letting the militia disguise as Dongjiang soldiers, and the real Dongjiang soldiers dressed as civilians, pretending to retreat from Pi Island to Lushun.

He then landed in Liaodong and led his troops to attack Zhenjiang Fort.

There were also Jianlu soldiers garrisoning Zhenjiang Fort, numbering as many as a thousand.

They didn't expect Mao Wenlong to suddenly come here from Pi Island, and they were almost attacked again.

However, even if they held on, the attack from Mao Wenlong's 20,000-strong army would not be easy to withstand.

They sent a messenger to ask for support from Yizhou on the other side.

Mao Wenlong deliberately let the messenger go, intending to surround the enemy and attack the reinforcements.

However, although Yizhou sent troops, it also informed Du Du and others. They wanted to cooperate with the Zhenjiang defenders to defeat Mao Wenlong's army in one fell swoop.

Facing the army led by Du Du, Mao Wenlong had no confidence of winning in a field battle. After careful consideration, he retreated and set up camp for defense.

At the same time, Li Jiucheng led 3,000 elite troops from Dongjiang Town and sneaked into Yizhou using the tunnels prepared before.

This was the counterattack arrangement they made when they withdrew from Yizhou City, and some of it can still be used now.

The Yizhou defenders never expected that Mao Wenlong's target was actually them, and they did not expect that after so many searches, there were still loopholes in the city.

They were attacked by Dongjiang soldiers while they were sleeping, and many of them were killed by firearms before they could react.

Li Jiuchen took the lead and attacked and killed the generals who stayed behind.

The Dongjiang soldiers also fought bravely and engaged in a struggle with the Jianlu.

These elite Dongjiang troops, inspired by the promise of defending their country and being awarded titles for their meritorious service, fought with all their might this time. They braved hundreds of casualties and killed thousands of the remaining Jianlu.

In just one night, they achieved a victory almost equivalent to the Battle of Dalingh River.

The city of Yizhou was captured by them, and Dongjiang Town achieved its first major victory since the Korean War.

Mao Wenlong, who got the news, was extremely delighted:

With this achievement, plus his previous merits, there was no obstacle for him to be crowned as a baron, and no one could question it.

Satisfied, he led his troops to withdraw from the sea after Du Du led his troops to attack Yizhou.

At this time, Yang Yufan had led 10,000 men under his command and landed in Yizhou after Du Du left Tieshan. He would defend Yizhou City together with Chen Zizhuang according to Hong Chengchou's order.

After Mao Wenlong returned to Pi Island, he landed in Xuanchuan and took the soldiers and civilians who were willing to fight to fight guerrilla warfare in the mountains and forests in the east.

It can be said that he tried his best to be granted the title this time. Not only did he make great contributions in recovering Yizhou, but he also stayed on the front line to let the emperor and his ministers in the court see his loyalty and fighting ability.

Putting aside the reaction in the court, Hong Chengchou, who was in charge of the Korean War, was very happy after hearing about the outcome of this battle.

He knew that after taking Yizhou, the strategy of suffocating the Jianlu in Joseon had taken shape. Next, he would send more and more troops to guard the main roads for the Jianlu to return north.

On the contrary, he selectively ignored the areas in the south that had not yet been attacked by the Jianlu. Even if they were conquered by the Jianlu, he would not care much.

Huang Taiji didn't know what to say when he encountered this situation. He had never encountered such a situation since he led his troops to fight:

Hong Chengchou really did not treat the Korean people as his own people. He allowed them to capture cities and territories in Korea without any resistance.

They also planned to block their way back and force them to stay in North Korea.

This made him feel incredible and he even wanted to conquer the entire North Korea.

With the elite troops of the Eight Banners under his command, he does have this ability.

But what he needs to consider more is what to do after conquering North Korea?
Do I have to give up Shenyang and stay in Korea as the king?

Thinking that the Korean monarch and his ministers had not yet met his envoys and had not replied to his letters, Huang Taiji felt extremely angry, but he also felt powerless.

The Korean king and his ministers are now hiding on an island. What can he do to them?

At this time, he was really helpless. Facing North Korea that allowed him to plunder, he felt helpless.

Just at this time, news of the joint forces of the Ming Dynasty and the grassland tribes attacking the Naiman and Aohan tribes finally came from Shenyang.

This caused his army to become restless, and many Mongolian soldiers wanted to return to save their tribes.

Huang Taiji, who had the same idea, decided to follow their advice and chose to withdraw troops from Korea on the pretext of rescuing his allies.

They marched north with 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers and horses, driving away the 500,000 people they had looted from Korea, as well as the looted property. (End of this chapter)