The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 549 Three Koreas
The autumn in Liaodong has deepened, and the golden fallen leaves cover the official road leading to Xiangping City. Qin Shou rides on a warhorse, and behind him are the neatly lined-up Tang cavalry. The gate of Xiangping City is wide open, and several armored generals are escorting a tied-up man to kneel in front of the gate.

"Your Majesty, Gongsun Kang has been captured by his subordinates and is now presented to Your Majesty!" Zhang Liao rode up to report in a loud voice.

Qin Shou nodded slightly, his eyes falling on the tied man. Gongsun Kang's hair was disheveled, his face was covered with blood, but his eyes still flashed with unwillingness.

"Gongsun Kang, you colluded with Goguryeo and established your own regime in Liaodong. Do you know your crime?" Qin Shou's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

Gongsun Kang raised his head and sneered: "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, why bother to say more? I just hate that my subordinates are afraid of death, otherwise..."

Before he finished speaking, the general escorting him suddenly drew his sword, and with a flash of cold light, Gongsun Kang's head fell to the ground. The general knelt on the ground and shouted: "The criminal Gongsun Kang has been executed. Your Majesty, please forgive us for our crimes as accomplices!"

Qin Shou frowned slightly, but soon relaxed his brows. He looked around and saw countless Liaodong civilians and soldiers on the city walls and streets watching this scene nervously.

"Liaodong was originally part of the Tang Dynasty. Gongsun Kang has been in rebellion for many years, causing the people to be displaced." Qin Shou raised his voice to make sure everyone could hear him. "Now that the rebellion has been quelled, I will pardon all those who were forced to rebel, and exempt Liaodong from taxes for three years to ensure the people's livelihood!"

Cheers suddenly rang out inside and outside the city. Zhou Yu rode his horse closer and whispered, "Your Majesty is benevolent and virtuous. Liaodong can be pacified."

That night, in the former residence of Gongsun Kang in Xiangping City, Qin Shou summoned all the generals to discuss matters.

"Although Gongsun Kang is dead, some of his remnants have fled to the Three Kingdoms of Han." Qin Shou pointed to the map on the table, "Liaodong has been secured. What should we do next? Do you have any good ideas?"

Zhou Yu spoke first: "Your Majesty, the Three Kingdoms of Han are located at the southern end of the peninsula. Although Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan are small, they are rich in resources and occupy a strategic position on the sea route. If the Tang Dynasty can conquer the Three Kingdoms of Han, it can control Japan in the east and deter the remnants of Goguryeo in the north."

Xun You disagreed: "The terrain of the Three Kingdoms of Korea is complex, with many mountains and dangerous roads. A forced conquest would be too costly. It would be better to stabilize Liaodong first and then make further progress when the spring comes next year."

The two men each had their own opinions, and the generals in the tent were divided into two factions. Qin Shou turned his eyes to Lu Xun, who had been silent the whole time, and asked, "What do you think, Bo Yan?"

Lu Xun bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Three Kingdoms of Han are not united. Mahan is the strongest, Jinhan is the second, and Byeonhan is the weakest. There have always been grudges between the three kingdoms, and they can be divided and disintegrated. Now that Liaodong has been newly conquered, if our army shows its strength to the outside world, the three kingdoms will surely be afraid. Then we can send envoys to pacify them, first weakening them and then strengthening them, which will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Qin Shou's eyes flashed with approval, and he tapped the table with his fingers: "Bo Yan's plan is very good. Pass the order down, the whole army will rest for ten days, and at the same time, spread the word that I intend to tour the three Han in the east and see the sea scenery."

Zhou Yu smiled knowingly: "Your Majesty, are you trying to alert the enemy?"

"That's right." Qin Shou stood up and walked to the map. "Once Liaodong is pacified, the Three Han will be like frightened birds. I want to see how these three birds will react."

The generals were delighted when they heard this. According to Qin Shou's original decision, the land outside the Central Plains would be divided among the ministers below. Those meritorious ministers had long been impatient to wait.

If the Three Han states can be conquered this time, their lands will become fiefdoms for these meritorious soldiers.

Ten days later, scouts reported back on the movements of the Three Han states.

"Report - King Mahan summoned envoys from Jinhan and Byeonhan to form an alliance to resist the Tang Dynasty!"

"Report - there are different opinions within Chenhan. Some advocate surrender, while others advocate resistance!"

"Report - Byeonhan has stepped up its defenses along the coast, but its land defenses are weak!" After listening to all the reports, Qin Shou summoned all the generals and issued military orders: "Zilong will lead 5,000 elite cavalry as the vanguard, advancing eastward along the Liaodong Peninsula, making an attacking gesture but not actually engaging in battle; Gongjin will lead the navy southward along the coast to intimidate the three Han seas; the rest of the main forces will follow me in the middle to coordinate."

Zhao Yun took the order and set out, his cavalry heading southeast like the wind. Zhou Yu commanded the newly-formed Liaodong navy, with hundreds of warships setting sail, with astonishing momentum.

The Three Koreas were shaken.

In the palace of King Mahan, Kim Sun-deok, who was nearly fifty years old, slammed the table and stood up: "The Tang Dynasty is too much! Liaodong is already in their hands, and now they are coveting our Three Kingdoms of Korea!"

The Jinhan envoy said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the Tang army is too powerful, so why not send an envoy to seek peace?"

"Ridiculous!" Jin Shande shouted angrily, "Seeking peace? That is the road to national destruction! My Mahan country has been established for a hundred years, how can we surrender to others? Pass the order down, recruit soldiers from all over the country, and fight to the death with the Tang army!"

The Byeonhan envoy lowered his head and said nothing, but there was a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Just when the Three Han alliance was not yet solidified, Qin Shou's main force had quietly set out. This time, his goal was clear - first take the weakest Byeonhan, then Jinhan, and finally deal with the strongest Mahan.

During the march, Xun You offered a suggestion: "Your Majesty, the King of Bian Han is timid and afraid of trouble. You can send an envoy to persuade him to surrender first. If it works, you can defeat the enemy without fighting; if it doesn't work, you can attack again at any time."

Qin Shou adopted this proposal and sent the eloquent Guan Ning as an envoy to Bianhan with generous gifts. At the same time, he secretly ordered Zhao Yun to speed up the march and approach the border of Bianhan.

Gu Yong fulfilled his mission and brought back good news three days later: "The King of Byeonhan is willing to surrender, but he only asks to keep his title and pay tribute every year."

"Okay." Qin Shou agreed readily, "Since Bian Han has surrendered, Chen Han will be isolated. Tell Zhao Yun to change direction and attack Chen Han directly!"

When King Jinhan heard the news of Byeonhan's surrender, he panicked. The ministers in the court were divided into two factions and quarreled endlessly. At this time, Zhao Yun's cavalry had broken through the border and captured three cities in a row.

In the main hall of Jinhan Palace, the pro-war minister Park Jinghuan said loudly: "Your Majesty, although the Tang army is strong, our Jinhan Mountain City is strong. As long as we hold on and don't go out, they will retreat when their food runs out!"

Lee Seong-gye, the minister who advocated peace, sneered: "Did Lord Park forget that Byeonhan has surrendered? Mahan cannot help a nearby fire, and Jinhan cannot stand alone!"

Just as King Chen Han was hesitating, urgent news came from the front line - Zhao Yun led his army to bypass the mountain city and go straight to Baiyan City, the gateway to the royal capital!
"What?" King Chen Han was shocked. "If Bai Yan is lost, the capital will be in danger!"

Lee Seong-gye took the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty promised that if Jinhan surrendered, the royal family would be able to keep their wealth and the people would be spared from war. Now that the Tang army is advancing like a hot knife through butter, it would be too late to regret if you hesitate any longer!"

King Chen Han sighed and sat down dejectedly: "Forget it. Forget it. Send an order to open the city and surrender."

In this way, within just half a month, Byeonhan and Jinhan surrendered one after another, leaving only Mahan still resisting.

When Kim Sundeok learned that the two Koreas had surrendered, he became furious: "Cowards! They are all cowards!" He summoned troops from all over the country and prepared for a decisive battle with the Tang army.

Qin Shou convened a military meeting in the palace of King Jinhan. On the wall hung a newly drawn detailed map of the Three Han states, which clearly showed the terrain, cities, and military deployment of Mahan.

(End of this chapter)