The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 524: Self-cultivation of the Imperial Generals

Incheon Wolmidan Port, the flagship of the 6th Corps, the battleship Dingyuan.

The warm sunlight shone on the deck. Wu Aheng, the chief officer of the Sixth Corps and the general commander of Dongjiang Town, sat upright in a garden chair, holding a yellowed thread-bound book in his hand. Two guards stood beside him. Farther away, the sailors were busy replenishing fresh water, wiping the mast, and checking the damage to the sails, making full preparations for the upcoming voyage.

Incheon City, two miles northwest of Wolmidan Mountain, was covered in thick smoke and flames, turning into hell.

The local refugees and young people in Incheon set fires everywhere in the city, killing, and looting.

The Imperial Navy destroyed the fortified city in less than two days. The Korean army suffered heavy casualties, and Incheon was now in chaos.

The civil and military officials, as well as the ministers of the Yangban class, in Incheon City had already fled to the capital with their beauties and valuables, leaving the people in the city as lambs to be slaughtered.

General Wu's attention was not on the enemy city behind him where smoke was rising. For this battle-hardened warrior, he had seen scenes that were ten or a hundred times more bloody and cruel than this one.

As a professional naval officer, he only cared about his warships and sailors.

Of course, his attention is now focused on the book "On the Self-cultivation of Imperial Generals".

As the territory of the Great Qi continued to expand, conquering cities became the norm, and the emperor's requirements for the comprehensive qualities of his generals became increasingly stringent.

In the Kaiyuan era, being able to read and write was no longer enough.

The retired emperor issued a clear order requiring that all corps commanders must be familiar with military books such as "The Art of War", "Ji Xiao Xin Shu", and "Lian Bing Shi Ji". In addition, they must be able to recite "On the Self-cultivation of Imperial Generals" from memory.

In other words, Emperor Wuding intended to make this book a military version of "Taizu Yulu".

Every month, the Suoyi Guards and the Ministry of War would go to each army for inspection. If they encountered a general who could not recite from memory, they would be fined his salary at the very least, and in serious cases, he would be beaten with a stick.

Of course, we don't need to ask these rough guys to memorize everything. They just need to copy down a few dozen classic quotes. After all, the book "On the Self-cultivation of Imperial Generals" has more than 300,000 words.

I forgot to mention that the author of this book is Emperor Wu Ding himself.

Like the Southern Song Dynasty fantasy story written by Empress Dowager Cisi Jin Yuji, the real authors of "On the Self-cultivation of Imperial Generals" are two literary giants, Qian Qianyi and Hou Xun.

This is a representative work of modern military theory (Fauvism).

The book adopts a "semi-fiction" form, fictionalizing a group of teachers and students (madmen) who are enthusiastic about war, aggressive, and constantly conquering empires. Through combat examples and theories, it vividly, interestingly and profoundly explains to readers the important role of "blitzkrieg and concentration of superior forces in war."

"War is an act of violence to force the other side to obey our will. To make the other side obey our will, we have many methods, such as communication, negotiation, reaching an agreement, etc...."

"Emperor Wu Ding believed that in order to achieve this goal with certainty, the enemy had to be completely deprived of its ability to resist. This could only be achieved through war and violence."

Whenever he came to a wonderful part, Wu Aheng would clap his hands in praise and read it aloud. The guards would consciously stay away from the chief officer.

The retired emperor's discussion on war is so insightful, straightforward and easy to understand, much easier to understand than the semi-vernacular and semi-classical content of "The Art of War".

This book was actually written by Liu Zhaosun based on "On War" by Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz. It has now been circulated among senior officers of the Qi army, and almost everyone has a copy.

Military leaders expressed their great fondness for the Emperor’s writings.

“War is not a pastime, not a mere sport in which risk and gain are sought, nor is it the product of a sudden impulse, but a serious means to a serious end.”

While General Wu was concentrating on reading, General Meng Jinbao came onto the deck at some point. Just as the guard was about to report to the chief officer, Captain Meng had already spoken.

"It's rare for General Wu to have such a refined interest. In the midst of the chaos and turmoil, he can still concentrate on reading!"

This admiral, who was born into a family of porters, only knows 300 characters so far, which is not even as good as the fifth-grade students in the school, let alone studying military books.

"The city is broken?"

Wu Ahheng turned a new page without taking his eyes off the book.

"It's broken! Our people haven't even landed yet, and the city has already been breached. How can it be considered a fortified city? Old Wu, didn't you see the chaos on the shore? Civilians are everywhere, and all the North Korean officials have fled."

"The emperor told me that people are good at walking towards him."

"But we can't just sit there and do nothing, I'm thinking..."

The Korean army and Japanese reinforcements stationed in Incheon collapsed within two days.

The speed of the defeat was far beyond the Qi army's expectations, so that no one could react and the enemy left them with an empty city.

"Pursue them and chase them all the way to Seoul. Old Wu, I heard that Inchon is only fifty or sixty miles away from Seoul." "Do you have any cavalry?"

"Ah?" Meng Jinbao was slightly stunned. He didn't expect Old Wu to ask this question.
"No, but having soldiers is enough. If we can get to Seoul one day, we'll have that bastard Li Jong in our custody by this time tomorrow."

"How are you going to chase her?"

Wu Aheng looked solemn, with a book in his hand.

"With one push, we will march forward lightly, with artillery auxiliaries following behind. Three thousand elite troops will head straight for Seoul. The north is disrupted, and the main army is in Pyeongan Province. The main force of North Korea is definitely not in Seoul. The Sixth Corps can just pick up a chance..."

Wu Aheng waved his hands vigorously.

"It's too cheap to pick up."

"The Sixth Corps is alone and deep in the enemy's territory, attacking Seoul is too risky. Moreover,"

According to the decree of the retired emperor, the southern army commanded by Wu Aheng only needed to bombard the coastal ports of Korea and did not need to pursue and annihilate them.

This was done to make the North Korean army run around, exhausted, and eventually be defeated one by one by the main army.

"The plan of dividing the troops and attacking together must continue. The Sixth Corps is heading to Fengchuan now. The wind is picking up, so we'll set off tonight."

Wu Aheng finally put down the book "Self-cultivation of Imperial Generals" and looked up at the Incheon City where smoke was rising.

"Set off?"

Meng Jinbao looked confused.

"Yes, go to Hwanghae Province and encircle Pyongyang."

"Considering the overall situation is the most basic requirement for a general. The Emperor said that we must insist on concentrating our forces to annihilate each enemy individually, with the goal of annihilating the enemy's effective forces, not focusing on defending or seizing territory. We only have a few thousand men, and we are not at an advantage, so let's give up the idea of attacking Seoul."

Wu Ahheng could give up and sit here and read quietly.

But Meng Jinbao could not ignore the victory that was within his grasp.

"This place is only fifty miles from Seoul, so close! How far is the retired emperor from Seoul? More than five hundred miles! When will they attack Seoul again? If we attack them immediately, we might be able to capture Yi Jong. If we capture the king, that would be a great achievement."

Wu Ah Heng smiled bitterly and had to explain the truth to this unlearning subordinate:
"What was the original intention of the Eastern Expedition?"

"Revenge Li Jong, kill him."

"No, it's about ruling North Korea and winning over the people's hearts. What are the people's hearts?"

Meng Jinbao was stunned on the spot.

“People’s hearts are order, food and security.”

At this point, Wu Ahheng remembered a sentence he had just read in a book and immediately applied it:
"When destroying the enemy, we must not only destroy their physical bodies, but also destroy their fighting spirit."

If we capture Seoul, we cannot hold on. If we cannot hold on, there will be no order. Without order, there will be no people's hearts. Without people's hearts, the cost of suppression will increase dramatically. For Da Qi, it will be an unprofitable enclave.

"Meng Jinbao, do you know how Yuan Chonghuan died?"

"He died together with the evil monk. He committed suicide by taking poison."

Wu Ahheng slapped Meng Jinbao lightly on the head.

"He's in Japan, with no food and no reinforcements."

"Do you want to be like him?"

Meng Jinbao quickly shook his head.

"Taking Incheon is the limit. We can't go any further. If you really want to do good, take 300 soldiers into the city now, arrest all those robbers and murderers, and execute them publicly. Then, in the name of the retired emperor, open the granaries to release grain to aid the people of Incheon. Before we retreat, have the instructors explain the Qi Dynasty's land system to the Koreans!"

Wu Ahheng looked towards Seoul and said thoughtfully:

"People leave their names behind, just as wild geese leave their voices behind. Let's leave a memory for the North Korean people. The next time we come, it may be years from now."

(End of this chapter)