The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 400 Traditional Arts
On July 10, the Korean governor Yi Sun-yi and the military supervisor Park Chung-hee led 10,000 Korean royal troops to invade Kuandian, an important town in Liaodong. More than 100 Qi troops left behind in Kuandian rose up to resist, holding the city for three days, killing and wounding more than 800 Korean soldiers. In the end, they were outnumbered and all died in battle.

After Li Shunyi occupied Kuandian, he allowed Korean soldiers to openly loot for three days in retaliation for Yuan Chonghuan's years of bullying of Sinuiju when he was in charge of Kuandian.

However, most of the food and supplies in Kuandian City had been transported back to Shenyang. Except for dozens of Shanxi and Anhui merchants who refused to escape, there was nothing left.

Three days later, on July 12, Qing envoys hurried to this important Liaodong city beside the Yalu River, urging their Korean allies to advance westward as soon as possible, saying that Liu's property and treasures were hidden in Shenyang and Liaoyang.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Kingdom of Korea and the Jianzhou tribe were enemies for generations and killed each other. From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the King of Korea would send people across the border to kill the Jianzhou Jurchens who were digging ginseng every now and then. The Jianju were not to be outdone and often crossed the border to intercept and kill Koreans. This situation continued until the rise of Nurhaci in the late Ming Dynasty.

Of course, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

In the eyes of the Koreans, Liu Zhaosun's usurpation of power and regicide had led to the de facto demise of their suzerain state, the Ming Dynasty (the nature of the Hongguang court was similar to that of Baoqi). As the most loyal vassal of the Ming Dynasty, Korea, at this time, joined forces with Jianzhou to besiege Baoqi and avenge its parent country. This was not only reasonable, but would also go down in history and be praised by knowledgeable people in the future.

In the summer and autumn of the first year of Wuding, Jianzhou and Korea, which were once as hostile as water and fire, quickly came together because of common interests and common enemies.

On July 12, at the west gate of Kuandian, Li Shunyi solemnly received the Qing army's special envoy Gong'a.

Zhengong'a, a member of the Bordered Blue Banner, just turned fifteen this year. He is the fourth son of the second prince Amin and is as tyrannical and cruel as his father.

After Amin was brutally murdered by Liu Zhaosun, Dudu felt sorry for the grandson of Shulhaci who was only ten years old at the time. Under Dudu's persuasion, Emperor Wuding did not kill Gong'a.

After Dudu became emperor, Gong'a naturally became the right-hand man of the Qing emperor. He was now a Jiala'ezhen of the Bordered Blue Banner, and controlled two thousand Zhenyi armored soldiers.

Of course, Commander Li Shunyi, who was good at observing people's words and expressions, did not dare to offend such a powerful figure.

"Lord Jiala'ezhen was a young hero, having achieved such remarkable military exploits. He is truly a son of a powerful general!"

Although he didn't know what battles this young hero had fought in or what military achievements he had made, the commander still subconsciously flattered him.

Gong A looked at the Korean commander with disdain, and calmly straightened the pigtail at the back of his neck and tucked it into his gilded helmet. The delicate whiskers on his lower lip trembled slightly, showing a maturity far beyond his peers.

"My father was executed by Liu Zhaosun by slow slicing. That year, just as I could remember, there was a heavy snowfall in Hetuala. My mother and I were captured and taken to Kaiyuan. While walking on the road, my mother froze to death. That winter was so damn cold..."

Gong Ah seemed exceptionally calm when he talked about his mother's death. His eyes were cold, like a lone wolf, which made people shudder.

"Back when the Kaiyuan Army attacked Hetuala, you Koreans were also involved, right? I heard your musketeers were quite formidable!"

Li Shunyi, the commander-in-chief, waved his hands and swore to the heavens:

"I swear to heaven that this is absolutely not the case. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you and the traitor Liu have been irreconcilable. It's only because of the threats from the Kaiyuan Army that you sometimes have to work for the traitor Liu. However, you have never offended the Qing Dynasty. We have only fought against Japan!"

Seeing that the young Tartar was difficult to talk to, several of Li Shunyi's staff members hurried forward to explain for the Kingdom of Korea.

Gong Ajiang waved his hands as if to drive away the unpleasant memories.

He patted Li Shunyi on the shoulder and laughed loudly:
"Hahaha, Commander, there's no need to be afraid. My Great Qing and Korea have been friends for generations. After this battle, we'll be brotherly nations. How could a brother embarrass another? The Emperor sent me here to inform you to attack Xishenyang as soon as possible to prevent the Qi army from fleeing eastward. Once we conquer Liaoshen and Tieling, then the two families can divide Liaodong equally. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"

When Liu Zhaosun was alive, the Emperor of the Great Qi gave the Koreans a lot of headaches. They had to build military ports, develop mines, and from time to time, they had to ask Korean soldiers to follow them to conquer Japan. Now, the Emperor of the Great Qing has come. Is he going to let people live?
As a close friend of Kang Hong-il and a representative of the Joseon civil service, the adaptable Yi Sun-eui understood the laws of strength and weakness, and adhered to the principle of serving the greater (Note 1). However, with two emperors emerging simultaneously in the tiny Liaodong region, it was not surprising that the Hongguang Emperor in the south would soon submit to Joseon. Although accustomed to being slaves, the Koreans were still very uncomfortable with having to accept three masters at once.

Moreover, Li Shunyi was well aware of the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors' plan, which was to have the Koreans rush to the front to attack the fortified city, to serve as cannon fodder for the Jiannu and to make wedding clothes for others. Of course, the Korean Kingdom would not do such a foolish thing.

The Jianzhou Jurchen population was sparse. After the bloody Battle of Hunhe and the Battle of Hetuala, and the attacks of the Kaiyuan army, the Eight Banners' wealth was almost completely emptied. Despite Du Du's efforts to maintain the banners over the years, continuously recruiting Han and Mongolian people into the banners, capturing wild Jurchens, and even incorporating all boys aged twelve or thirteen from the banners into the army—even during the reign of Huang Taiji, only those aged fifteen or older could join the banners—even so, the population of each banner has never recovered to the 80,000 of Huang Taiji's time, let alone the 120,000 of Lao Nu's time.

When Du Du proclaimed himself emperor, the total number of male adults in Jianzhou, including surrendered Han people and Mongolians, aged thirteen to sixty-three, was only about 25,000.

Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong left 5,000 old and weak people in Hetuala and moved all their assets to Shenyang. It was a fight with their backs against the wall. It was probably because they wanted to do the same as their grandfather Nurhaci did at Sarhu, placing all their bets and deciding the outcome in one battle.

The Korean side was still unsure of the exact number of Jianzhou troops, but they knew very well that the Tartars needed their help. That was why they dared to openly bargain with the Qing army.

"Although it is our duty to eradicate the rebellious Qi and avenge the Ming Emperor, Korea is a small nation with a weak military and can only provide cover for the Qing army's flank..."

Gong'a was furious. "Then when will you attack Shenyang? Are you going to stay in Kuandian and watch the decisive battle between the Qing and the Liu thieves? Don't forget, if the Qing hadn't pinned down the Qi army in Fushun and cut off their aid to Kuandian, would you have been able to capture this city so easily?"

Li Shunyi repeatedly said that he dared not. He felt more and more that these Jianzhou barbarians were all capricious. Seeing Gong'a, he could imagine what kind of person Amin was back then. He heard that Amin was a madman who loved to massacre cities.

Li Shunyi didn't want to anger the Jianzhou barbarian in front of him, so he explained calmly:

"Our country is short of food. Last year, there was a nationwide drought. People in Sinuiju, Gyeongsang, Jeolla, Chungcheong, Hwanghae, and Gyeonggi Provinces all starved to death. Therefore, it is difficult to continue to provide military rations..."

Although Gong-a was brave and good at fighting, he knew nothing about the fine traditions of the Korean army.

The army that is looting in Kuandian City has an extremely "glorious" tradition in logistics.

When Emperor Wanli came to Korea to aid the Korean army, the Korean army was fighting on its own land and could not solve the problem of food supply. It had to rely on the Ming army entering Korea to transport food and fodder from Liaodong to feed them.

It would be a bit unreasonable to ask them to go abroad to fight and cross the Yalu River to march to Shenyang now.

"What? We let you in, let you rob silver and people, and you still ask me for food. What do you think of my Qing Dynasty? Is my hearing broken or are you crazy?"

Military Inspector Park Yeong was just about to tell the fifteen-year-old Lord Jiala Ejin that not only did they need food, but the Joseon army also lacked horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts to transport the food... Fortunately, Li Shunyi reacted quickly and stopped Military Inspector Park from speaking in time.

Several Qing generals cast contemptuous glances at the Koreans. Fortunately, Li Shunyi was knowledgeable and was not affected by the contempt of the Jianzhou Tartars. He said confidently:
"Indeed, Lord Jiala'ezhen has probably never been to our country of Korea. We really don't have any food. Every time we fought a war before, we had to ask Ming to provide food. To be honest, we crossed the river from Sinuiju and were really not well prepared with food and grass. After occupying Kuandian, the army's food and grass were almost exhausted. Kuandian was fortified and the fields were cleared, so there was almost no food. It was difficult for our army to stay for a long time. I implore your country to send some food here, preferably with ox carts..."

Gong'a was speechless.

After a while, the fifteen-year-old Jiala Ezhen gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay, I'll go back and report to the Emperor and let him decide. You must advance without further delay."

Military Supervisor Pu Rong couldn't help but say:

"Your Excellency, please be patient. There are still remnants of Liu Bei's bandits in Laizhou, Weihai and other places. They have not been able to withdraw to Liaodong yet. Their strength should be around 10,000. They have ships and artillery. The Korean monarch and his ministers are worried that these remnants will take the opportunity to land in ports like Incheon..."

"Bullshit! Ten thousand men? Why didn't you mention that there were still a hundred thousand Qi troops inside the pass? They're just a few hundred defeated soldiers, nothing to show for it!"

Gong'a was too lazy to talk nonsense with the group of Koreans in front of him. He jumped on his horse and prepared to return to Shenyang accompanied by several Goshaha.

Before leaving, this ferocious son of Amin gave Li Shunyi a harsh warning, requiring them to appear at the gate of Shenyang within three days and launch an attack on the defenders in the city. Otherwise, the "brotherly alliance" and generations of friendship between the Qing Dynasty and Korea would no longer exist.

Note:
1. Shidaism: Shidaism (Korean: ) is a Confucian diplomatic philosophy based on the principle that smaller states serve larger states to preserve their own power, based on a balance of power. It specifically refers to the Joseon Dynasty's policy of paying tribute to the Ming and Qing dynasties of China from 1392 to 1895. The term "Shidaism" first appeared in ancient Chinese texts from the pre-Qin period, such as "The Book of Zhou" and "Zuo Zhuan."

(End of this chapter)