The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 499: The Third Expedition to Korea
The Eighth Corps and the Third Corps attacked North Korea twice but failed to take it, shocking the government and the public.

Emperor Wu Ding learned from his mistakes and decided to change his strategy towards the DPRK. Of course, he did not approve of Qi Jin's slow progress, because what he and his Great Qi lacked most was time.

The time traveler decided to adopt the strategy of tiring the enemy, taking the initiative to attack, continuously harassing North Korea, and bleeding Li Jong.

However, before that, he had to follow the example of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and summon a large army to lead the army in person, march to Seoul, deal a fatal blow to Korea, and bring this small and rebellious eastern vassal state to justice, and sign a humiliating treaty. Only in this way could he gain an overall advantage over Korea in terms of strategy and public opinion, and reshape the international center status of the Great Qi in East Asia.

To deal with a capricious and untrustworthy "small country" like North Korea, the only way is to defeat it with a thunderous force in one fell swoop, and then implement Qi Jin's farming strategy. Otherwise, the Qi army will only fall into a long-term and ineffective tug-of-war.

In order to accomplish the thundering blow that Emperor Wuding wanted, it was necessary to mobilize the main forces of ten corps, at least 60,000 combat soldiers, 200,000 auxiliary soldiers and able-bodied men, and the amount of food and supplies was an astronomical figure.

Except for Qin Jianxun's troops defending the Huaihe River line, only a small number of garrisons were left in various places to maintain local order, and the rest of the troops were all mobilized to Liaodong to prepare for war.

The time traveler will imitate Emperor Yang of Sui and establish three forward bases in Tianjin, Shenyang and Kuandian in advance to transport food and troops. The army will be divided into two routes, land and sea, to launch a general attack on North Korea.

It will take some time for the ministers to accept this plan, especially at a time when Qi is surrounded by enemies and in a dangerous situation.

If there is a slight mistake, Liu Zhaosun will repeat the fate of Emperor Yang of Sui, and the Great Qi will perish in the second generation like the Qin and Sui dynasties, ending its life prematurely.

"Zhao Lujiao underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, resulting in an ambush by Li Shunyi and the loss of a thousand men. Qi Jin, using the excuse of the rainy season making travel difficult, retreated to Ping'an Road and halted his advance, wasting food and fodder for three months. What do you think should be the punishment for these two?"

Emperor Wuding looked around and glanced at his civil and military officials with a bad look.

"We vowed to sweep through Korea and conquer it in one fell swoop, but now the situation has deteriorated to this point. Korea alone has already hindered the Eighth and Third Corps. Now we have to conquer Japan and pacify Annan. What will happen next?"

Ma Shiying coughed twice, turned his body slightly, and winked desperately at Grand Secretary Hou Xun, but Hou Xun pretended not to see him. Prime Minister Ma had no choice but to look at Jin Dajiu again.

Jin Dajiu was the elder brother of Empress Dowager Cisheng Jin Yuji. He served as an angel of the court for many years in the early Ming Dynasty, traveling back and forth between the capital and Seoul. He was quite familiar with the roads around Korea and knew every official road and small road by heart.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the brother-in-law knew he couldn't refuse, so he had to bite the bullet and persuade them.

"Your Majesty, I have traveled to and from the capital, Seoul, many times and am quite familiar with the terrain. It is now the end of March, mid-spring is approaching, and Korea is experiencing heavy rains. The journey from Kuandian to the Yalu River is indeed difficult."

Liu Zhaosun glanced at his brother-in-law and signaled Wu Xiao to unfold the map.

Ma Shiying breathed a sigh of relief and muttered something to Hou Xun.

"This is the shortest route from Liaoxi to Sinuiju, North Korea."

The elder brother-in-law continued, looking towards the Bohai Sea:

"Your Majesty, please look here. The Koreans call this the Banghai Road. It's passable during droughts. It's a shortcut from Liaodong to Korea, only 600 miles. In previous years, the Koreans used this route, but in recent years, the rain has increased, and the sea has risen. The official roads have become small paths, and the small paths have become waterways. Many roads have been submerged by the sea. When the water recedes, the mud is stickier than Korean rice cakes. The swamp is hidden under the weeds, and a person walking on it will disappear without a trace, let alone a cart."

Emperor Wu Ding recalled the time when he led the Kaiyuan Army to conquer Korea and interrupted his brother-in-law:
"When I entered Korea before, I never saw any swamps. However, the road I took back then was not the one you mentioned."

Jin Dajiu withdrew his gaze from the map and explained to the emperor, "Your Majesty, as I just said, in the early years, the rainfall was scarce, and most of the swamps along the coastal road dried up, so it was passable. But now it is not possible."

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand and refused to argue with his brother-in-law.

“Is there any other way?”

"Yes, starting from Lulong County, we go through the Luan River to Chengde, and from Chengde we walk 200 miles along the mountain road to Lingyuan, and then follow the Daling River to Liucheng."

Grand Secretary Hou Xun added, "Your Majesty, I know that Yan General Qin Kai attacked the Donghu, Huo Qubing of the Western Han attacked the court of the Xiongnu Zuoxian King, Cao Cao conquered the Wuhuan in the north, Emperor Yang of Sui led three expeditions to Goguryeo, and Li Shimin personally led his army, all of which took this route."

"The Grand Secretary knows quite a bit, citing classics."

When Emperor Wuding heard that Emperor Yang of Sui had launched three expeditions to Goguryeo, his expression changed slightly, and it was obvious that he was somewhat displeased.

The time traveler tells himself again and again that he is not Emperor Yang of Sui, and the Great Qi is not the Sui Dynasty, but there is always a psychological suggestion in his subconscious that often makes the time traveler feel uneasy.

Veteran minister Xu Guangqi also commented, "The route Grand Secretary mentioned involves building bridges over rivers and clearing roads through mountains. From Shenyang to Seoul, it's a distance of 1,500 miles. As Sun Tzu's Art of War says, 'One bowl of enemy food is worth twenty bowls of ours.' Korea is short of food and fodder, so relying on the enemy for food is out of the question. Transporting food to tens of thousands of troops would be beyond the capabilities of the Qi Dynasty. Emperor Yang of Sui's three expeditions to Goguryeo caused widespread unrest due to logistical difficulties. However, while this route is difficult to travel, there are many rivers along the way, making it less laborious than traveling entirely overland."

Everyone wanted to mention Emperor Yang of Sui. Emperor Wuding had a gloomy face. Ma Shiying thought that the retired emperor already knew the difficulties of the Eastern Expedition, so he quickly expressed his thoughts:
"Your Majesty, Zhao Rujiao lost the first battle, and General Qi's progress is slow. Both are related to the dispatch of food and fodder. The King of Korea knows about our country's new policies and knows that surrender will not end well, so he can only resist stubbornly. In addition, I heard that Korea is supported by the Japanese, and that the Tokugawa clan condones the Tsushima pirates to support Korea, supplying them with gunpowder, sulfur, and other supplies..."

"It is only right for the Japanese pirates to support Korea at this time. The lips and teeth are cold. Tokugawa Hidetada killed Yuan Chonghuan and slaughtered countless of my soldiers. I will not forgive him this time. After destroying Korea, I will conquer Japan. This time, I will send 300,000 troops, which is a real conquest."

When Emperor Wu Ding looked forward to the future, his ministers looked at each other in silence. With the current strength of the Qi army, it was still a question whether they could completely occupy Korea, let alone conquer Japan.

"Therefore, for the third expedition to Korea, I will not resort to small-scale attacks, sending only 3,000 to 5,000 men. This time, I must mobilize 60,000 troops for an all-out attack, capturing Seoul in one fell swoop and forcing Li Jong to sign a humiliating treaty similar to the Treaty of Niuguan. Everything north of Pyongyang will be incorporated into the territory of Great Qi and directly ruled by Qi."

The ministers were speechless.

An army of 60,000 was sent on an expedition to Korea, where they captured Seoul in one fell swoop and completely annexed the area north of Pyongyang (two provinces and fifteen counties).

When Emperor Wanli came to aid Korea, Emperor Shenzong had to mobilize the entire country and the best troops from all over the country to barely achieve such a scale.

The Ming Dynasty had two capitals, thirteen provinces and hundreds of millions of people, but the Great Qi Dynasty currently only had Liaodong, Henan, Shandong, Huguang and several provinces. After several years of war, the population was only tens of millions. It had to organize so many people and guard against Zhang Zicheng in Shanxi and Zhu Changling in the Southern Ming Dynasty... I'm afraid one in three men would have to be recruited.

Emperor Wuding didn't waste any words and looked up at Ma Shiying.

"Prime Minister Ma is suggesting that these two individuals be pardoned?"

Ma Shiying nodded quickly and said cautiously, "Zhao and Qi were not able to conquer Korea in a single battle. If we judge their crimes, they deserve death. However, since Your Majesty assumed the regency, you have shown your magnanimity and generosity, admired throughout the country. This is not enough to bother Your Majesty! I believe that they should be allowed to make meritorious contributions while serving their sentences."

All the ministers followed Ma Shiying and knelt down to plead for Qi Jin and Zhao Lujiao, hoping that the emperor would not kill the two generals.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wu Ding laughed loudly and said:
"Since all the ministers have pleaded for mercy on behalf of Zhao and Qi, I will not pursue the matter for now. When I personally lead the army, I will allow them to make meritorious contributions while serving their sentence!"

Seeing that the retired emperor insisted on recruiting soldiers from all over the country to march east to Korea, the ministers finally lost their patience and began to advise against it.

Ma Shiying used Emperor Yang of Sui's Eastern Expedition as a lesson to advise the retired emperor not to act rashly.

Sun Chuanting's words were even more severe. He said that the current dangers of the Great Qi were internal rather than external, and that the country should recuperate and not engage in excessive military expansion.

"I am worried that as soon as Your Majesty leaves, chaos will break out within the Great Wall. The Henan, Huguang, and other areas we have finally captured will be plunged into war again. Perhaps the tragedy of the first year of Wuding will repeat itself."

Xu Guangqi, Song Yingxing, Mao Yuanyi and others roughly estimated the food, fodder, auxiliary troops and carriages needed for the 60,000-strong army based on the allocation of military rations and the mobilization of troops. They finally came up with an astronomical figure that shocked everyone.

Several think tanks emphasized that with the current national strength of the Great Qi, it is difficult to support such an expedition. If it is forced to go ahead, the outcome will probably not be much better than that of Emperor Yang of Sui...
Even Jin Yinghe, Ge Yewen and others who had remained silent began to persuade them not to launch an eastern expedition rashly.

·······
Emperor Wuding asked Dongfang Zhu to bring tea and began to drink it silently. After everyone had finished speaking, he took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Sen Ti.

"This is a memorial sent by Kang Yingqian from Jieze County. He is old and has difficulty lifting chopsticks or a pen. I don't think he will live long. Please listen to what this old man said to me."

Dongguanzi held Kang Yingqian's memorial in his hands, cleared his throat, and began to read aloud:
"In the beginning, Emperor Yangdi was ruthless and had long lost his people. During the Liaodong campaign, people cut off their hands and feet to avoid conscription. During the third campaign against Goguryeo, nine armies crossed the Liao River, totaling 350,000 men. By the time they returned to Liaodong City, only 2,700 remained. Vast military reserves and equipment were completely lost. The second eastern campaign was also a disastrous defeat...
"Now that our emperor is conquering Korea, the people are eager to join the army. When I was in Guangping Prefecture, I saw that all the people wanted to go east. The government recruited 100 people and only got 100, and 100 people and only got 1,000. But those who could not join the army were all angry and depressed!"

"I witnessed with my own eyes the blacksmith son of a neighbor named Zhang, who volunteered to join the army in private armor to fight against Korea, claiming to avenge Emperor Wuding. Due to his height, he was rejected by the recruiting officer. Zhang said, 'I do not seek any reward from the county magistrate, but only wish to die in Liaodong!' The official refused, and Zhang, enraged, drowned himself in the Yulei River. "I am old and senile, and in this life I will no longer be able to follow our emperor's lead and achieve great things. I only wish to hold the loquat tree in my courtyard, gaze into the distance to the northeast, and pray for our emperor's victory, to crush the rebellious eastern vassal states, and to usher in a peaceful and prosperous era."

All the ministers shed tears after hearing this. Ma Shiying's eyes were red and he cried uncontrollably:

"Even though General Kang's family suffered a tragedy and was murdered by traitors, he still cared about the court and inspired the people. I, your humble servant, feel ashamed to hold such a high position."

Liu Zhaosun personally collected the letter sent to him by his old subordinate and said in a deep voice:

"You all only see the numbers on the books. Food, fodder, and military pay are all dead. My people are alive. They are willing to fight and die for Liaodong. Therefore, I will not be Emperor Yang of Sui."

"There are many reasons to attack Korea. To obtain war horses, to obtain eunuchs and palace maids, to obtain... I want Korea to pay the price for betraying Great Qi and slaughtering Kuandian. This one reason is enough. I have made up my mind. I will return to Liaodong today and attack Korea on September 3 this year."

~~~~
On the fifteenth day of the ninth month of the third year of Taichu, the royal army set out from Kuandian. (Emperor Wuding) personally wore a bow and arrow, and tied a raincoat to the back of the imperial saddle. — "The Veritable Records of Taizu, Part Two of the Personal Expedition"

(End of this chapter)