The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 509: Together we live, apart we die

When the military order was issued, the generals were in an uproar.

According to the combat deployment formulated by the retired emperor, Qi Jin, Zhao Lujiao, Pu Gang, Jin Yinghe and the Third, Eighth, Fifth and Ninth Corps under their command will not rush to the front in this Korean War, but will remain in Pyeongan Province as reserve forces, in the name of guarding against the enemy.

It should be noted that the Third, Eighth and Fifth Corps are all elite troops of Qi.

The predecessor of the Eighth Corps was the Linqing Qi Army. In the first year of Wuding, Pu Gang led them to fight their way out of the blockade on all sides, captured most of Shandong, and pulled back the Qi army that had reached the edge of the cliff.

The predecessor of the Fifth Corps, the 5000th Headquarters, was even more famous for their military achievements. They went on an expedition to Japan and finally followed Yuan Chonghuan and Zhao Lujiao to be stationed in Kyushu, Japan. Despite all the foreign aid, this group of veterans persisted in Japan for half a year and finally returned home safely at a very low cost.
As for the Third Corps under Qi Jin, it can be said to be the cornerstone of the Qi Army. Many of them are veterans who have fought all the way from the bloody battle of Hunhe River. Except for the defeat of the capital in the first year of Wuding, this army has never suffered a defeat. Half a year ago, in order to clean up the mess for the Fifth Corps, the Third Corps of only 8,000 people led a detachment to fight against the entire North Korea. They fought hard with more than 100,000 North Korean troops on the opposite side, and took half of Pyeongan Province from Li Jong step by step.

The Ninth Corps, led by Jin Yinghe, is the only foreign army among the armies of the Great Qi Dynasty that is composed purely of foreign soldiers. Although the number of people is small (more than 7,000), they are elite soldiers from Mongolia, Haixi, Jianzhou, Korea, Japan, and even the East India Company. Except for a small number of prisoners captured by the Qi army on various battlefields, most of the soldiers of the Ninth Corps basically applied to join the Great Qi Dynasty on their own initiative (mainly from mines and prisons in various places). These people can be called the fifth column of the seventeenth century.

Under the repeated preaching and re-education of Sen Ti and his instructors, the vast majority of foreign soldiers have completely accepted their identity as soldiers of Qi State - of course, those foreigners who do not accept it have been physically eliminated or sent back to the mines to dig coal.

······
Despite this, Liu Zhaosun decided not to use them.

The retired emperor did not explain any more, but looked at everyone with a stern expression, his gaze lingering briefly on Qi Jin and others.

"The Battle of Pyongyang is just the beginning. There will be even bigger battles to fight next. I need to leave a reserve force behind."

Having said that, any discerning person can see that the arrangement made by the retired emperor is actually to rebalance the power of each military group.

Of course, there was also punishment for Qi Jin.

After the military order was issued, all the generals echoed it and gladly accepted the combat mission of their troops. Deng Changxiong and Wang Zengbin looked at the four people, while Qi Jin stood where he was and did not speak.

The scene suddenly became awkward.

Dongfang Zhu quickly winked at Zhao Lujiao, who immediately expressed his acceptance of Emperor Wuding's order.

Pu Gang was silent for a moment, then clasped his hands together and said to the Emperor:

"I will obey your orders!"

When he was in Shandong, Pu Gang had spent some time with the retired emperor and knew Emperor Wu Ding quite well. In his opinion, there was nothing wrong with making such an arrangement.

The Ninth Corps is the only organized foreign army among all the armies, which inevitably arouses suspicion, although the instructors have brainwashed these foreign soldiers thoroughly.

The Battle of Pyongyang was the first step for Emperor Wuding to lead the Great Qi in expanding outward. It was of great significance and could not afford any mistakes. Therefore, it was impossible to let foreign troops take the lead in the attack.

As for the Fifth Corps, they had just retreated from their victory on Sakhalin Island. Although they had fought hard to defeat the Cossacks, they had also suffered heavy casualties and were in urgent need of rest and recuperation. Although they were willing, they were unable to continue fighting.

Zhao Yujiao's Eighth Corps had recently suffered a defeat in Pyongyang and was not suitable for offensive missions;

As for Qi Jinbu, the emperor's intention was obvious. Since you like farming, then stay and farm well. "General Qi, do you have anything else to say?"

From beginning to end, Qi Jin remained silent, and everyone looked at him.

Qi Jin ignored everyone's gaze, took two steps forward, and saluted Emperor Wuding, who was a head taller than him.

"Your Majesty, I have nothing to say. I am only following military orders!"

The crowd erupted in shock. Several accompanying civil servants pointed at Qi Jin and whispered among themselves. Dongfang Zhu frantically winked at Qi Jin, though Qi Jin ignored him. Wang Zengbin instinctively stepped back, as if trying to distance himself from this unruly general. Even Pei Dahu's gaze toward Qi Jin suddenly took on a murderous intensity. Zhao Lujiao stared at the scene, unsure what to do.

Deng Changxiong was about to explode and strike this old man who had come with him all the way, when the cold voice of Emperor Wuding came from the tent:
"Just obey the military orders. I'll be frank with you."

Liu Zhaosun looked around and looked at the group of veterans in front of him with a complicated expression.

"The reason why the soldiers of Da Qi can march forward without hesitation and be invincible is not only because we have well-trained soldiers, sufficient food, and advanced firearms, but more importantly, we follow orders and fight wherever we are told!"

"Only when all ten fingers are clenched together can they become a pair of fists, and only then can we kill! If any one finger doesn't obey, we won't be able to fight far, and we won't win!"

At some point, the big tent had become completely silent. Xie Yang, Hou Xun, Lu Zhenfei, Francisco and others, who had been whispering just now, all shut their mouths.

Like the brief calm before the storm, everyone was waiting for the wrath of this ten-foot-tall, muscular, murderous demigod in front of them, waiting for his wrath to come.

Dongfang Zhu had just picked up a cup of silver ring snake soup and was about to feed it to the emperor when he was so frightened that he stopped and stood there, not daring to move.

To everyone's surprise, after saying this, Emperor Wu Ding strode towards the door of the tent and stopped in front of the clothes rack where armor was hung. The high priest and Dongfang Zhu looked at each other and hurried forward to help the emperor put on his armor.

Liu Zhaosun put on his helmet, pressed down the brim of his hat as usual, stretched his neck to stretch his muscles, and looked back at the civil and military officials who were still bewildered.
"For the past two years, I have been busy purging those civil servants. Even the military supervisors Kang and Qiao were thrown into the imperial prison by me personally. Those tigers and flies below have been caught and killed by more than a thousand people!"

"Whether it was the Great Qi or the Southern Ming, those deceased civil servants all said that I was extremely cruel, even more tyrannical than the Gao family of the Northern Qi. The name I established, the Great Qi, is well-deserved. Yet, I have always been lenient towards you military generals and have not been willing to slaughter you. Could it be that you are more loyal than the civil servants?"

The generals' faces turned pale. No one would have thought that the emperor would say such words when facing a battle.

Regardless of whether the retired emperor really had suspicions about the military generals, this was a major taboo in military strategy.

Deng Changxiong, who was standing nearby, glared at Qi Jin and gestured to Qi Shaobao's adopted son to quickly confess his crime to the retired emperor.

"That's because," Liu Zhaosun said indifferently, "you have all shed blood and performed meritorious deeds. Although I may be harsh, I am not foolish. I still remember this kindness."

"From now on in Da Qi, anyone who dares to disobey the emperor's orders, disobey orders, or act without authorization will be executed without mercy!"

(End of this chapter)