In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 900 Your Majesty Must Not Rebel
Northwest Road?
The entire Goryeo court was in an uproar, with many people showing fear and trembling.

Once the Jurchens entered the Northwest Circuit, they wouldn't be far from the Gyeonggi Circuit, where Gaegyeong was located.
It could even be said that they are within arm's reach.

Just keep heading south.

Moreover, many people realized that it would take time for the news to travel back from the Northwest Province.

The Jurchens moved so fast...

Have we entered Gyeonggi Province yet?
A variety of thoughts arose.

The adults in the room were filled with anxiety and unease.

At this moment, more and more people turned their attention to Li Xiang, who was standing at the forefront, hoping that he would step forward to uphold justice.

Even many officials who supported the emperor turned their attention to him.
Yi Seong-gye noticed the stares and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

With a formidable enemy at hand, he savored the complex emotions of love and hate that the officials in the court felt towards him.

When it's almost done,
Yi Seong-gye stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, the Jurchens are coming with great force. I still stand by my previous opinion and call upon troops from Xijing, Yangguang Road, and Qingshang Road to come to our aid and protect the capital region."

Meanwhile, now that the Jurchens have arrived in the Northwest region,
That minister serves as the Chancellor and Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armies.
"It is my duty to lead the troops to meet the enemy; I humbly request Your Majesty's permission!"

Yi Seong-gye's voice was firm and resolute.
This calmed many of the court officials present, who wore complex expressions.

Although Yi Seong-gye was arrogant and had the appearance of being autocratic,
But those who serve in the military can still inspire trust.

However, the civil officials, led by Jeong Mong-ju, had some concerns.
Once the three armies fall into Yi Seong-gye's hands, there will be no chance of turning the situation around.

Emperor Wang Yao, sitting at the head of the table, looked extremely grim.
Now, whether he sticks his neck out or not, he'll still get stabbed; he seems to have no other choice.

At this moment, Li Se, the judge of the Imperial Secretariat, took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, I recall that there are 30,000 elite troops in the Northwest, while the Jurchens who have entered the territory number only 10,000."
Our Goryeo soldiers are sharp and brave, and their armor is excellent.

Even with fewer cavalry, they might not necessarily be at a disadvantage!

Your Majesty, I believe we should order 30,000 elite troops from the Northwest Circuit to march towards the Gyeonggi Circuit and scout the Jurchens' movements along the way.
If we do find a large part of the Jurchen population, then starting a war on the spot wouldn't be a bad option!

"absurd!"

Zheng Daochuan, the commander-in-chief of the right army, stepped forward and angrily rebuked Li Se.

"Lord Li, the 30,000 elite troops in the Northwest are intended to counterbalance the Ming Dynasty."
"The Ming army has amassed elite troops on the border. If Goryeo doesn't send troops to guard it, and something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?"

Li Se glared angrily and turned to look at Zheng Daochuan:

"Lord Zheng, last year you led the team to Yingtian to pay respects to the Hongwu Emperor."

His Majesty the Hongwu Emperor stated frankly that he would not interfere in matters concerning Goryeo!

Moreover, Goryeo is a country that the Ming Dynasty does not conquer, and its tribute ranks first!

Is the Ming Dynasty gathering its elite troops to attack our court?
Isn't it to guard against rebellious traitors who might try to act alone?

These words immediately put the court in a solemn atmosphere!
The Commander-in-Chief of the Central Army, Pei Kelian, spoke in a sinister tone:
"Lord Li, who is it that wants to go alone?"

Li Se's expression suddenly changed, and his eyes widened!

Zheng Daochuan chuckled lightly and said calmly:
"When the Ming Dynasty established the Tieling Guard, the two countries were at peace. However, Xin Wujun and Cui Ying insisted on attacking Liaodong. Was this a case of going it alone?"
If the events of that year had not occurred, why would Liaodong have stationed elite troops on the border?
Isn't this a case of reaping what you sow?

He stepped forward, stood before Li Se, and looked down at him with a mocking laugh:
"Does Lord Li perhaps think that the Ming Dynasty is a benevolent nation?"

If the Northwest region is undefended, the Ming Dynasty will certainly not attack.
Don't forget... the conflict at Tieling Guard was only three years ago. You may be angry, but doesn't the Great Kingdom feel the same way?"

"Lord Zheng, you are making excuses. Emperor Ming has already stated that he will not interfere in the affairs of Goryeo, so how could he send troops into the Northwest Province!"

I can tell you clearly intend to mobilize troops to gather in Kaijing, thereby leaving the rear vulnerable.
This will embolden your family and friends to persecute loyal and virtuous people even more recklessly!

Li Se cursed loudly, showing no regard for decorum.

The adults' expressions changed slightly. They hadn't expected things to develop to this point. The two sides were almost at each other's throats over the issue of troop deployment!
Zheng Daochuan ignored Li Se and instead looked at Emperor Wang Yao at the head of the table, bowing deeply.
"Your Majesty, Minister Li was a traitor who supported the young emperor Xin Chang. I implore Your Majesty to execute this traitor and cleanse the court!"

Wang Yao's expression changed as he looked down at the gazes directed at him. He felt a chill run down his spine. Li Se was one of his few supporters, a highly respected figure who had even served as prime minister.
If he is impeached this time, his situation will be even more dire.

Wang Yao pursed her lips, glanced at Li Chenggui who had remained silent, and said in a deep voice:
"Minister Zheng, the matter we are discussing now is the Jurchen invasion. What does this have to do with Xin Chang?"
"Minister Li, please tell me your plan: how to deal with the Jurchen army."

Yi Seong-gye raised his head, glanced around, gave a soft hum, and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, we must guard against the Northwest route, but the Jurchens are also a formidable enemy, and we cannot afford to be complacent."

Since the officials of the court have differing opinions, let's compromise. The Northwest Circuit will mobilize 15,000 elite troops to search for the majority of the Jurchen population and try to prevent them from entering the capital region.

However, the troop deployment only involved drawing troops from Xijing to Gaegyeong, bringing the total force to nearly 50,000, enough to confront the Jurchen cavalry.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yao, sitting at the head of the table, looked at Zheng Mengzhou and Li Sae, hoping they could give him some advice.

But before they could speak, Pei Kelian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army and the Commander-in-Chief of the Central Army, and Zhao Jun, the Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army, spoke in unison:
"I humbly request Your Majesty's permission."

Standing at the forefront of the civil officials, Jeong Mong-ju's eyes dimmed, he sighed softly, and bowed in the same gesture.
"I humbly request Your Majesty's permission."

Wang Yao immediately understood his thoughts and nodded gently:
"Do as Li Aiqing says, and everything must be done quickly."
The Jurchens have always been cruel; if he acts recklessly within the country, it could easily lead to a popular uprising!

"Yes!" Yi Seong-gye bowed.

"Your Majesty, we shall take our leave now."

"Please take your time, Minister Li." Wang Yao stood up and watched him go from the dragon throne.

After all the generals had left, he sat dejectedly on the dragon throne and waved his hand:

"Dismiss the dynasty!"

After the court session, Yi Seong-gye and his entourage went straight to the Privy Council, an office on par with the Central Secretariat, which was in charge of the military affairs of the entire Goryeo Dynasty!

Upon entering the main hall, Yi Seong-gye's expression suddenly turned serious, and before even sitting down, he began to reprimand:

"The Jurchens suffered heavy losses, so why would they send an army to Goryeo? It's absurd!"

The Privy Council members stood at the lower end, heads bowed, not daring to speak.

“Speak! Last year you were the ones who kept telling me that the Jurchens wouldn’t be able to hold their heads up for ten years, and now, less than half a year later, you’ve organized an army of ten thousand!”

"Lord Li, please calm down. Even we didn't expect this, so how can we blame them?"

Zheng Daochuan came to the rescue just in time, waving his hand:

"You may all leave now. Instruct your respective departments to find out as soon as possible where the Jurchens are."

Having already made a mistake once, we cannot afford to make the same mistake again.

The councilors were greatly relieved and quickly left with their heads down.

After everyone left, Zheng Daochuan chuckled softly:
"Lord Li, the Jurchens have come from afar; perhaps it's not a bad thing."

The Commander-in-Chief of the Central Army, Pei Kelian, nodded, his eyes lighting up.

"Lord Zheng is right. Xijing has always been a stubborn place, and reforms have been slow to be implemented."
It's just that those military leaders are unwilling to give up their fields.

Now that we can transfer them all away, we should take advantage of this time to speed things up and stabilize the situation in Xijing.

It's a pity that this time we couldn't get those people in Yang Gwang Province and Gyeongsang Province to move their posts; otherwise, the reforms would have been greatly promoted.

The atmosphere eased considerably after the matter was brought up, and Lee Seong-gye's expression was no longer so unpleasant.

"Reform, driven by public opinion, will succeed sooner or later; there's no need to rush it."
Let's think about how to deal with the Jurchens now; a force of ten thousand.
The Jurchens have gone all out this time; if we fail to defeat them, our prestige will be greatly damaged.

Zhao Jun, the Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army, waved his hand dismissively, appearing completely unconcerned.

"Lord Li, the Jurchens are mostly scattered soldiers. This time they have gathered 10,000 cavalrymen, which looks impressive, but they are unlikely to accomplish anything."

When the people from Xijing arrived, they held him still in Kaijing.
With only 15,000 soldiers from the Northwest Route, we can easily drive the Jurchens away.

Even…” As he said this, a sinister glint flashed in Zhao Jun’s eyes, and he whispered:
"The longer the Jurchens stay within our borders, the more troops we can mobilize."

Soldiers from Yang Gwang-do and Gyeongsang-do provinces may well be able to come to Gaegyeong.

"Hey~" Yi Seong-gye waved his hand.

"We have the situation under control; let's not do anything that would lower our status."

The Jurchens are ultimately an external enemy. Quickly eliminating them will greatly enhance our prestige.
At that time, even those stubborn people will be unable to contend with us.

Commander-in-Chief Pei Kelian nodded:

"Whom does Lord Li intend to send to fight the Jurchens this time?"
Although the Jurchens are a rabble, there are still so many of them; we need to send a capable leader."

Yi Seong-gye sat in the center, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of his chair. After a few moments, he made his decision:

"You stay in Gaegyeong and keep a close eye on Yi Sae and his group. I will personally go to handle this matter in the Northwest Province."

Upon hearing the decision, Pei Kelian and Zhao Jun were momentarily stunned, but then each had their own thoughts and revealed their understanding.

In their view, this Lord Li was going to gain merit and, incidentally, further enhance his prestige in the army.

Yi Seong-gye glanced at them, fully aware of their thoughts, and explained:
"The Jurchens are coming with great force this time, and this unusual behavior must be suspicious. We'd better go and see for ourselves."
Furthermore, it is unknown what Jeong Mong-ju has been plotting with His Majesty recently.
His men had also gone to the Northwest Circuit, and it just so happened that they were going to take a look this time.

Pei Kelian's expression turned slightly grave as he tentatively asked, "Is something really wrong in the Northwest?"

Yi Seong-gye nodded:
“The palace sent people to the Ming Dynasty to ask for help, but there has been no reply yet. I am a little worried, so I dispatched 20,000 men to the Northwest. If they really send reinforcements, we can hold them off.”

Zheng Daochuan, who had remained silent, frowned slightly.

"My lord, aren't you overthinking this? The Ming court has no intention of interfering with our plans. Emperor Hongwu himself said so."

"Yeah yeah."

Zhao Jun nodded repeatedly, finding Li Chenggui's reaction quite strange.

The room fell silent for a moment. Lee Seong-gye sighed and shook his head helplessly.

"The imperial court is the imperial court, and the military is the military."

I can disobey the imperial court.

Those military leaders could also disregard the words of the Ming Dynasty court.

Just in case, since the Jurchens are causing trouble this time, we can deal with this matter at the same time.

After he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room became more somber, and the eyes of everyone present were filled with gloom.

After all, they were all people who "rebelled" and rebelled.

After a long silence, Yi Seong-gye stood up, his gaze resolute:
"That's settled then. I'll leave the capital with my men tomorrow. You all need to take good care of the house and not let His Majesty get involved with those treacherous officials."

Zheng Daochuan and the others stood up, cupped their hands in a fist salute, and said, "Yes!"

Northwest Daodechuan, Muhe Township, at the foot of Qingtang Mountain!

The Jurchen army's temporary camp occupied the entire sheltered area of ​​the mountain pass, with its fortified camps stretching endlessly.
It was nighttime, and the lights seemed to illuminate the entire Qingtang Mountain!
If you look down from a high place
Many villages near Qingtang Mountain appeared gloomy and lifeless, as if they had been oppressed and relegated to a corner.

Indeed, this was the case. Since the arrival of the Jurchen army, the surrounding cities and villages were filled with unease. Some wealthy families who were able to escape left overnight, wishing they could run to the ends of the earth immediately.

Those who were unable to leave could only pray at home.

These Jurchen people should not let their bestial nature run rampant and slaughter the city.

Half a day passed, and the Jurchen army was peacefully encamped in Qingtang Mountain, seemingly without any intention of attacking.

But this did not make the people lower their guard.
Even the Tokugawa government has spread rumors that the Jurchens are conserving their strength and preparing to attack the city tomorrow!

A sense of unease permeated the air above Tokugawa Castle.

A peaceful atmosphere pervaded the Jurchen camp.
The soldiers made a noisy din as they ate their dinner, their words subtly mocking the poor state of the Goryeo military.

After entering Goryeo, they traveled overnight and had already covered nearly four hundred li.

So far, they haven't encountered even a thousand people blocking their way; passing cities don't stop when they see them.

They won't actively pursue them, but will let them leave!

This reassured many of the Doyan Three Guards soldiers who were fighting abroad for the first time.

So this is what Goryeo and Jurchen were like?
The atmosphere inside the central command tent was far from relaxed; it was extremely tense!
Lu Yunyi stood in front of the sand table, listening to the reports from various staff officers summarizing the information they had gathered over the past few days and speculating on the combat strength of the Goryeo army.

Azashiri and Tuoluhucha were also listening in.

After a short while, Lu Yunyi, having finished listening to the report, sat back down at the head of the table, his brows furrowed, and said in a deep voice:
"Judging from our encounters along the way, the internal strife in Goryeo has reached an irreconcilable point."

A trend toward local autonomy has emerged.
Regarding external enemies, the mentality of "I will not attack unless attacked" has also emerged.
This will be very helpful for our next steps.

Azashiri's expression was strange:
"General, I feel that Goryeo is not as good as Jurchen."

Tuoluhuchaer nodded repeatedly from the side, a hint of resentment appearing in his eyes.
In his view, the brave Doyan Three Guards were still struggling to survive.

How could such a weak kingdom like Goryeo occupy such a large plain?
The people are healthy and prosperous, and the city is well-ordered. What is the reason for this?
He even thought that the Three Guards of Duoyan might be able to come and take over the place!

Moreover, the Jurchens were somewhat foolish.

Why not take such a good spot and insist on fighting to the death in the mountains!
Just as he was thinking, Lu Yunyi, who was at the head of the table, spoke in a deep voice, interrupting his reverie.

"The elite troops of Goryeo are all in the two capitals and the Northwest Province. We came from the Northeast and it is only natural that we have not been hindered along the way. But we can no longer be careless once we enter the Northwest Province."

Getting here is easy, but leaving will take some effort.

Azashiri frowned, somewhat puzzled:
"General, what exactly is the purpose of our visit here?"

Lu Yunyi pursed his lips:
"We need to get some things, but it's not convenient to talk about it right now. You guys go ahead and call Wang Junping over."

Azashili's expression was strange. After exchanging a glance with Tuolhuchaer, he stood up and slowly left.

Before long, Wang Junping, blindfolded and bound hand and foot, was brought over. He struggled incessantly in the arms of two soldiers, making "uh uh uh" noises.

"Untie."

As soon as Lu Yunyi gave the order, Wang Junping seemed to freeze in place, stunned!

Then it began to struggle even more violently.
He was terrified during this period; he had been inexplicably kidnapped.

The sun was nowhere to be seen from beginning to end, and its location was unknown.

Hearing that familiar voice now, Wang Junping wanted to burst into tears!
When his hands and feet were untied and the cork in his mouth was removed, he immediately let out a shout:
"My lord, are you Lord Lu?"

"Help me, help me!!"

"Alright, alright, stop howling."

Lu Yunyi stepped forward and ripped off the black cloth covering his eyes.

Wang Junping regained his sight, his eyes blinking incessantly, after not seeing sunlight for more than ten days.

Even the dim candlelight in the room stung his eyes.

He quickly looked around the general's tent and its surroundings, and then came to his senses.

"Lord Lu, where...where is this?"

Lu Yunyi smiled, sat back down at the head of the table, and said calmly:
"This is Goryeo."

(End of this chapter)