The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 508 Battle of Pyongyang
September 30th, the third year of Taichu, Xichuan Prefecture, Yizhou, Korea.

A huge black dragon battle flag fluttered on the low city wall of Xichuan Prefecture, and the ferocious dragon could be seen from miles around.

Like other passes, the Kingdom of Joseon adopted a make-do attitude and built border towns around Heecheon Prefecture, with cities but no walls.

The benefit of North Korea doing this is that it saves money and manpower, which is in line with the image of a benevolent and righteous monarch that Lee Jong advocated.

Of course, the defense line formed by these cities had almost no defenses inside and was easily breached.

This was especially true of Xichuan Prefecture, where the low walls outside the city were neither strong nor equipped with any trenches or battlements, not to mention enemy towers or battlements.

Half a year ago, when the elite troops of Qi climbed to the top of the city wall, they entered the city directly without even engaging in any fighting.

All 1,000 Korean troops in the city surrendered.

In fact, the battles that Qi Jin, Zhao Lujiao and others fought in Pyeongan Province were all so smooth.

~~~~~
Under the black dragon banner, the cavalry of the First Corps with black pennants on their backs were rapidly passing through the city post road. The flying hooves of their horses stepped on the dry land, stirring up dust all over the sky and making a thumping sound.

A slightly plump figure passed through the dust, coughing dryly. He spat toward the post road and cursed softly:

"Damn it! The road is broken! The gun carriage is shaking apart!"

Han Zhenyi looked back and saw that the wheels of the heavy infantry gun were stuck in the mud. Several auxiliary soldiers were driving mules and trying their best to drag it.

Han Zhenyi looked up at the sky. The sun was hanging obliquely in the sky. A dilapidated post road extended from Xichuan Prefecture, heading south and disappearing among the low hills.

The further south they went, the more dilapidated the road became. Han Zhenyi was about to curse a few more times when he heard the voice of his old partner Wang Congzhi from behind him.

"Old Han, just be happy, the good days are still to come!"

At this time, the auxiliary soldiers pulling the cannon were also shouting in unison, accompanied by a burst of shouts from people and mules, and the huge cannon weighing 3,800 kilograms with a range of six miles finally broke free from the mud pit. A civilian hurried forward and asked the excited mule to calm down and not disturb the two superiors from talking.

Wang Congzhi nodded to the auxiliary soldiers who had just pulled the cannon, shook off the mud and sand on his hands, and seeing that there was no one around, he quickly took out a gourd wine pot from his arms, shook it in his hand, and threw it to Han Zhenyi.

"It was raining when we crossed the river from Kuandian. Fortunately, the rain stopped when we entered North Korea. You should thank God. If it had rained again, our artillery battalion would have been useless and all the artillery pieces would have been stationed in Pyeongan-do."

Han Zhenyi grabbed the wine jug, gulped down two mouthfuls, then closed the gourd lid and tossed it to Wang Congzhi. According to the military law of the Great Qi, soldiers were strictly prohibited from drinking alcohol while on the march. During the march, there were often patrols by pacification troops and imperial guards. Fortunately, the gourd contained clear water.

Han Zhenyi finished drinking the water, sighed deeply, and said somewhat unwillingly, "If only the artillery of our artillery battalion could be as fast as the Sixth Corps, coming and going like the wind."

Wang Congzhi patted his old partner on the shoulder and comforted him, "Then you have to be able to swim. The navy has big ships, and we have big cars, so it's almost the same."

After hearing this, Han Zhenyi shook his head and retorted:
"How can we be nearly as good? We can't compare to their navy. Their gun barrels are thicker than wells. One of their shots is worth ten of ours. They can even destroy city walls. It's so convenient to be on the ship. Unlike us, our artillerymen have become auxiliary troops, driving mules and doing hard labor every day."

As he was speaking, another carriage in front of him got stuck in the mud.

"Damn it, that damned King Yi Jong of Korea, he didn't even repair the road first before going to war!" A mule transporting food and grass stood leisurely by the roadside, nibbling on weeds and snorting, and refused to move no matter how the groom whipped it.

Han Zhenyi continued to complain, "The same goes for mules and horses. Before they crossed the river, they were such good animals, working hard without complaint and eating very little. But once they got to North Korea, they all turned into lazy donkeys and horses!"

Wang Congzhi showed a professional smile on his face. It seemed that he was used to this companion who liked to complain about everything.

Starting from the 47th year of Wanli's reign, the two became partners, rising from small soldiers to lieutenant generals. Over the past ten years, more than half of the old men from Kaiyuan had died, but the two of them were lucky and had lived to this day, so they were closer than brothers.

Wang Congzhi asked Han Zhenyi to continue speaking, nodding to him from time to time, but his mind was already thinking about other things.

At this time, Emperor Wu Ding and the commanders of the major corps had already headed south in advance and rushed to Ningbian City, which was closer to Pyongyang. On the naval side, Wu Aheng was about to land with the Sixth Corps. Wang Congzhi did not know the exact landing location because it was confidential.

Some say it's Incheon Port in Gyeonggi-do, some say it's Pungcheon Port in Hwanghae-do, some say it's Ganghwa Island, and some even say they're going to land on Pi Island.

Wang Congzhi thought that the possibility of Pi Island was very low, because it was close to southern Liaoning and was originally the base of Kaiyuan Navy. How could a war go backwards as it went on?
Are we going to attack Pyongyang?
It is said that Pyongyang now has more than 30,000 defenders, and reinforcements are coming from the south, while the Qi army heading south has only 40,000 troops. Pyongyang is a large city and is guarded by the elite of North Korea. It is not comparable to a small city like Heichuang.

"Hey, Lao Wang, are you listening to me?"

Han Zhenyi finally finished speaking, and Lao Wang finally woke up from his dream and quickly agreed:

"Yes, yes, that's right. When the army conquers Korea and establishes prefectures and counties, I will be the first to submit a petition to the court, asking the emperor to build a post road from Da Qi to here. Then I will go to Wu Aheng to ask for a few naval cannons as thick as wells to serve as the facade of our artillery camp!"

Han Zhenyi rolled his eyes at him and said angrily, "What? I was just telling you about the tactics of bombarding Pyongyang. What are you talking about?"

~~~~~~
The two artillery battalion commanders were chatting casually like this, with several soldiers guarding them on both sides. Behind them, thousands of artillery pieces were pulled by the Romans, and driven by the artillerymen, the mules and horses moved forward slowly.

The shouts of the artillerymen, the creaking of heavy wheels and the neighing of mules and horses mixed together and drifted over the plain road.

From time to time, groups of night warriors would pass by the artillery camp and hurriedly head south.
In Ningbian City, one hundred and twenty miles away from King Han Zhenyi's army, Emperor Wuding's central military tent.

Liu Zhaosun was announcing his battle plan to the commanders of each corps.

"The first phase of the operation targets Pyongyang. The Western Route Army (9th Corps), the 3rd Corps, and the 8th Corps will serve as reserves, remaining in Heichong and Yongbyon. The remaining troops will be divided and encircled to trap the enemy in Pyongyang and annihilate them in one fell swoop! The specific deployment is as follows:"

"The Eastern Army, commanded by Deng Changxiong and deputy general Wang Zengbin, will consist of the entire Second Corps and part of the Seventh Cavalry Regiment, totaling 15,000 men. They will advance southward from Hamgyong Province, penetrate Gangwon Province, press into Cheorwon, and feint an attack on Seoul. The main force will then move northwest to cut off Pyongyang's retreat and prevent the defenders from escaping."

"The main force of the Central Army, 20,000 men (the entire First Corps), will be led personally by me. They will march south from Yongbyon and Suzhou and attack Pyongyang head-on, taking the lead in the assault."

"Wu Ahheng led the Southern Route Army of 10,000 troops (part of the Sixth Corps and part of the Seventh Corps) to land by sea in Pungchon, advancing eastward to join the Eastern Route Bureau at Hwangju. Along the line of Pungchon, Hwangju, and Anbian, they cut North Korea in half, building a front to contain reinforcements from the South Korean army while waiting for an opportunity to advance northward and participate in the encirclement and annihilation of the Pyongyang defenders."

Emperor Wu Ding looked around with a fierce gaze. Generals Deng Changxiong, Zhao Luejiao, Qi Jin, Wang Zengbin, Pu Gang and others held their breath and dared not speak.

"Wu Ahheng is still at sea. We must await his intelligence before deciding on a specific attack time. Everyone, the entire Great Qi has been planning for this battle for a long time, and the people have sacrificed so much. We must win, not lose! We want to encircle and annihilate, not crush them. We must not let a single enemy in Pyongyang escape."

(End of this chapter)