In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 899 The battle lines are faster than the battle reports.
Huining City is a small city on the northeastern border of Goryeo.
It was insignificant among the many cities of Goryeo.

If it weren't for the fact that the Jurchen territory was to the north, the Goryeo court probably wouldn't have established this city.

North of Huining City lies a small village called Sanhe Village.

Although it is called a village, it was originally built as a front-line outpost against the enemy Jurchens.

However, as the Jurchen's center of gravity gradually shifted northward in recent years,

As the number of battles between the two armies decreased and trade increased, the frontline outposts were transformed into villages.

Today, the wind and snow were heavy, and snowflakes as big as goose feathers fell in a flurry, covering the entire Sanhe Village completely.

The village youths were busily clearing snow with brooms and shovels in hand.

They painstakingly dug through the soil.

Then the freshly fallen snow was mixed with soil and the pit was filled in to replenish the earth's moisture.

"Old Zhang, you're putting in so much effort, it's like you're doing embroidery. If you keep dawdling like this, the snow will bury the road!"

A burly man wielded a shovel.

He shouted to a slightly thinner man next to him.

"What do you know! I'm using a steady and methodical approach, unlike you who only knows how to use brute force. Be careful not to hurt your back!"

Everyone burst into laughter after hearing this.

Just then, a deep and loud vibration was heard.

Everyone was taken aback but didn't pay much attention, assuming it was just a strong blizzard.

However, the vibrations grew louder and louder, and the ground beneath our feet trembled slightly.

The smiles on everyone's faces gradually disappeared, replaced by confusion.

They all stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Behind them, in the woods, the trees swayed.
Birds scrambled to escape, the snow trembled, and then fell softly!
what happened?
Before they could figure out what was going on, amidst the swirling snow...

A tall, magnificent horse charged out of the dense forest.
The horse's hooves rose high and landed heavily on the snow, stirring up a wave of snow!
"cavalry?"

In an instant, the entire mountainside was covered in snow.
An endless stream of cavalrymen swarmed out of the dense forest.

The whole world suddenly became blurry again, simply because the snow fog they raised was too thick!
As they charged out of the forest, the neighing of the warhorses and the thud of their hooves hitting the ground grew increasingly louder.

The earth trembled, and the villagers of Sanhe Village were too shocked to speak.

I stared blankly as they rushed past!

Like a black whirlwind, but it whipped up a white tail!
These cavalrymen were dressed in clothes made of animal hides, wore furry leather hats, and had their faces painted with black paint.

Only a pair of sharp and fierce eyes were visible.

They had scimitars hanging from their waists, longbows on their backs, and quivers full of arrows.

The horses were also covered in thick animal hides.
It was decorated with colorful strips of cloth that fluttered in the wind and snow.

"Jurchen!"

"They are Jurchens!"

An elderly villager screamed in terror, his voice trembling.

This shout was like a thunderclap, causing an uproar in the crowd.

The villagers were thrown into chaos; many collapsed to the ground, while others turned and tried to run home.
But before he could run a few steps, his foot slipped and he fell heavily into the snow.

"Help! The Jurchens are here!"

A young woman, holding her child's hand, was shouting at the top of her lungs.

Her face was covered in tears, and her eyes were filled with despair.
She vaguely recalled memories she dared not revisit.
She was still young then, and the Jurchens also emerged from the mountains in the same way.
The rampage swept through the entire village; all the men were killed, and the women and children were abducted!

An elderly man with the same memories trembled as his legs shook.

I wanted to stand up, but I couldn't muster any strength.

He watched the approaching cavalry and muttered to himself:
"It's over, it's over, everything's ruined."

Just then, several strong young men,
Ignoring the pain in his body, he got up and ran towards Huining City.

"Don't panic, everyone! Quickly go to Huining City to report to the authorities!"

They trudged through the snow, falling countless times along the way.

But when he thought of the Jurchen cavalry behind him, he gritted his teeth, got up, and continued running forward.

Strangely, the cavalry that emerged from the mountains did not commit violence.

Instead, they quickly surged onto the official road and sped south.

As they passed by these villagers, they merely gave them a cold glance.
He neither drew his knife nor attempted to rob anyone!

As they walked further and further away, someone raised a question.
"Is she a Jurchen? Why has she changed her personality?"

"Yes, that's definitely it!"

An elderly man, well past fifty, answered in a hoarse voice.

"They...they have a wild spirit about them, they know nothing of morality or shame! All they know is to rob!"

"Yes, yes, their eyes are like those of wild beasts!"

A woman nodded repeatedly in fear.
The people of Sanhe Village quickly arrived in Huining City.

This is a small border town with a sparse population and low city walls, making the town appear desolate.

Located in the center of the city is the Huining County Government Office.

Magistrate Li was sitting in the warm pavilion.
While reading the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" from the Ming Dynasty, I couldn't help but cheer when I came across an exciting part!

Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside.

"My lord! My lord!"

A yamen runner rushed in, his hat askew.

Lord Li frowned and said unhappily:

"What's with this flustered behavior! Tell me what's wrong slowly."

The bailiff, panting heavily, stammered:

"My lord, something terrible has happened!"

A messenger from Sanhe Village reported that Jurchen cavalry had rushed from Jurchen territory, passed Sanhe Village, and were heading south!

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Lord Li's expression changed drastically.

The teacup in my hand fell to the ground with a crash and shattered into pieces.

Tea was spilled all over the floor, but he didn't care.
He suddenly stood up, his eyes wide, unable to believe his ears.

"Jurchen cavalry?" Lord Li asked, his voice trembling.

The bailiffs nodded repeatedly:

"Sir, the villagers of Sanhe Village witnessed it with their own eyes,"
The scene was terrifying; the sound of horses' hooves shook the ground!

Lord Li plopped down in his chair, his eyes filled with fear.

He knew in his heart that the Jurchen cavalry were not to be trifled with.

Huining City was just a small city, and its city walls had fallen into disrepair over the years.

The defending soldiers numbered only a few hundred and were no match for the Jurchens.

"What should we do?" Lord Li muttered to himself.

Just then, the clerk rushed in from outside; he had already learned what had happened.

Seeing Lord Li's terrified expression,

After glancing at the broken teacup on the ground, he had already guessed what had happened.

"My lord, do not panic."

The advisor walked up to Lord Li and said softly.

Lord Li, as if grasping at a lifeline, grabbed the clerk's hand and said urgently:
"The Jurchen cavalry have suddenly attacked. What should we do about Huining City?"

The advisor pondered for a moment and said:
"My lord, the most urgent matter is..."
We must quickly send someone to inform the people in the city so that they can take precautions.

At the same time, send someone to nearby military camps to request reinforcements and see if they can send some troops to support us.

Lord Li nodded repeatedly upon hearing this:

"The advisor is right, let's do it this way!"
Go quickly and arrange for men to close the city gates and strengthen the defenses.

I will write a letter requesting assistance and send someone to the nearby military camp immediately.

The clerk accepted the order and left, while Lord Li hurriedly went to his desk, picked up his pen, but his hand trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't write anything well. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, before he began to write a letter requesting help.

After the letter was written, Lord Li summoned a trusted constable, handed him the letter, and solemnly said:
"You must deliver this letter to the military camp as quickly as possible, without any mistakes!"
If this causes any serious incident, I will hold you accountable!

The constable took the letter and nodded heavily.
"Rest assured, sir, I will risk my life to deliver the message!"

After saying this, the yamen runner turned and left the county office.
He mounted a fast horse and left through the south gate, heading south!

Magistrate Li hurriedly dressed and went to the north city wall. Just as he climbed up the wall, the news he received surprised him.

"What? The Jurchens left via the official road? Without even stopping?"

Overjoyed, Magistrate Li grabbed the guard by the collar and raised his voice eight octaves!

"My lord, the brothers hadn't closed the city gates yet."

The Jurchens didn't even look at them before running past the city gate.
You have no idea, that scene was absolutely terrifying, there were probably tens of thousands of people.

"Tens of thousands?"

Magistrate Li's ecstatic expression vanished instantly, replaced by a deathly pallor.
Disheartened, he loosened his collar and murmured:

"What do these tens of thousands of Jurchen people want to do? Can't they survive in the mountains?"

At this moment, it was the same soldier guarding the city who reminded him:
"My lord, we must quickly inform the court of this matter."
Those Jurchens looked like they came with ill intentions, and their equipment was extremely sophisticated!

"Yes, yes, tell the imperial court! Tell the imperial court!!"

Half an hour later, the most elite soldiers in the post station were running at full speed!
One man and three horses, the horses never stopping.

The wind and snow lashed his face like knives, but he was completely oblivious!
With only one thought in mind, he was to deliver the news of the Jurchen attack to Kaijing as soon as possible.

Huining City is nearly a thousand miles away from Kaesong.

He traveled day and night, eating a few bites of dry rations when he was hungry and stuffing a handful of snow into his mouth when he was thirsty.

When he got sleepy, he would take a nap on horseback, and the jolting on horseback kept him awake at all times.

On the first night, the wind howled and the snow fell heavily, making the roads extremely difficult to travel.

The horse's hooves sank deep into the snow, each step requiring immense effort.

The soldier held the reins tightly, his body swaying with the horse's movements, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

"drive!"

He shouted loudly, urging the horses to speed up.

The horses seemed to sense their master's urgency and ran with all their might.

The splashing snowflakes formed a white mist behind us.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the soldiers could already see the walls of Gaegyeong.

His body was utterly exhausted, and his legs were numb from riding for so long.
But with his indomitable will, he persevered.

Finally, he arrived at the Kaijing Post Station!
At this moment, his face was as pale as paper, and his eyes revealed a deathly stillness.

He tumbled off his horse and nearly fell to the ground, but fortunately the courier caught him in time.

"Take me to His Majesty immediately! The Jurchens are attacking!"

The soldiers used their last bit of strength...
After uttering those words, everything went black and he fainted.

The courier dared not delay and immediately reported the news to the imperial court.

When Wang Yao heard the news of the Jurchen invasion...
His first reaction was that Yi Seong-gye was colluding with foreign tribes and wanted to take his life.

He stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with anger.

"Yi Seong-gye! How dare he do this!"

Wang Yao slammed his fist on the dragon throne and roared.

At this moment, Li Se, who had rushed over, quickly stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, please calm down. This matter needs to be considered carefully."

If Yi Seong-gye truly intended to harm His Majesty, he wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble.

In my opinion, it is indeed the Jurchens who have arrived!

After listening to Li Se's words, Wang Yao gradually calmed down.

"The Jurchens? The Jurchens themselves are starving to death, how could they possibly have the ability to invade Goryeo!"

Li Se pondered for a moment and said:

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The most urgent task is to find out the movements and intentions of the Jurchens."

Your Majesty, I believe we should immediately summon our ministers to discuss countermeasures.

"The three Jurchen tribes suffered heavy losses last year, and the Ming Dynasty raided their residences, killing countless people."

It's no wonder they won't survive this winter.

Perhaps this is what gave them the idea of ​​invading Goryeo!

Wang Yao's expression changed slightly, and she quickly spoke:
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! We need the ministers to come for a meeting."

Before long, the ministers arrived at the court.

Wang Yao sat on the dragon throne, his face solemn, and looked at the ministers below, saying:
"The Jurchens are attacking, numbering over ten thousand. Do any of you ministers have a plan to deal with them?"

Yi Seong-gye stood below the throne, deeply shocked.

He hadn't expected the Jurchens to attack at this time, and on such a large scale.

He didn't care about the lives of some ordinary people.

The main reason was that such a large-scale invasion disrupted his plans.

Yi Seong-gye frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that we should immediately mobilize troops to meet the enemy, and at the same time, investigate the exact location of the Jurchens!"
It has been two days since they entered the country.
Countless cities have succumbed to the ravages of war, and countless people have been displaced.

We humbly request Your Majesty to issue an edict allocating funds and mobilizing troops to meet the enemy!

At this point, Jeong Mong-ju, who had consistently opposed Yi Seong-gye, unusually stepped forward to express his agreement:
"Your Majesty, what Prime Minister Li said is absolutely right."

These Jurchens are barbarians; the common people who fall into their hands never have a good end.
If this is not stopped in time, the nation will be in turmoil!

Wang Yao panicked even more and asked:
Where are the Jurchens? How should we deal with them?

A glint flashed in Yi Seong-gye's eyes. He stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, based on the current situation..."
All we know is that the Jurchens came from the south, but their destination is currently unknown.

However, the possibility of Kaijing (Beijing) cannot be ignored.
Your Majesty, I believe that elite troops from Pyongyang (the Western Capital), Yanggwang Province, and Gyeongsang Province should be transferred to Gaegyeong (the Western Capital) as a precaution!

Upon hearing this, Jung Mong-il's pupils suddenly contracted!

The private land reform is now intensifying, and the imperial court is only able to resist it in places like Xijing by relying on some still neutral soldiers.

If all these soldiers come to Gaegyeong...
Without a doubt, the private land reform will be implemented without any obstacles, and the imperial court's power will suffer a major blow!
Yi Seong-gye will be one step closer to seizing power!
Jung Mong-ju stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, I believe Prime Minister Li is incorrect. Although the Jurchens have entered our territory..."

However, the number of people, their combat strength, and their purpose are unknown.
Since they know nothing about these three things, if troops are hastily transferred to Kaijing...
Isn't this absurd? Where is the dignity of the imperial court?

Moreover, the Jurchens have always been easily defeated.
The Northwest Circuit currently has nearly 30,000 soldiers stationed there, and these soldiers can be mobilized to meet the enemy.

Moreover, it's still uncertain whether the Jurchens can even reach the capital region; the court shouldn't take any rash actions.

Wang Yao, seated at the head of the table, slightly contracted her pupils, understanding Li Chenggui's intentions.

He was about to speak when Yi Seong-gye interrupted him.

"Lord Zheng, you are a civil official, do you perhaps understand the art of war?"

Yi Seong-gye glanced around and said in a deep voice:
"A courier from the frontier seems to have delivered a letter. There are tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalrymen on horseback. Please note that no infantrymen have been found following them in Huining City."

That's ten thousand cavalrymen! Does Goryeo even have that?

Let me tell you, my Goryeo has only 17,000 warhorses at our disposal, and no more than 6,000 cavalrymen capable of fighting.
Now you all understand, right?

The Jurchens are doing everything in their power to invade our Goryeo!

If the destination isn't Gyeonggi Province, then where is it?

Could it be that the Jurchens are out of their minds, sending ten thousand cavalry to raid and plunder within my Goryeo territory?

Yi Seong-gye's voice grew louder and louder, causing a stir of panic among the court officials present.

Yes, the Jurchens must have had a significant purpose in launching such a large-scale war!
Even Jung Mong-ju was somewhat hesitant at this point, and had to admit that there was some truth to what he said.

Wang Yao, who was seated at the head of the table, was even more alarmed, and her face changed drastically.

Now, we are caught between a rock and a hard place!
Regardless of the devastation and instability that would befall the Jurchens and Goryeo, the situation remained unchanged.
After subduing the Jurchens, the three powers of Xijing were left with depleted military strength and were no longer able to resist the reforms, so the throne remained unstable.
For a moment, Wang Yao was disheartened. He slumped back on the dragon throne, his face blank, and he became indifferent to the arguments in the court.
Just then, a shrill scream came from outside the main hall.

"Report——"

"Urgent report from the Northwest Circuit!!"

"More than 10,000 Jurchen cavalrymen have swarmed across the border and entered the Northwest Road!!"

(End of this chapter)