My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Abuna's troops were mainly cavalry, skilled in raids but not in city defense or sieges. Moreover, they did not carry any engineering weapons or large siege or defense equipment, making it impossible for them to build effective siege fortifications. Zheng Zhilong's navy, although well-equipped with many advanced warships and cannons, was skilled in naval warfare but not in land warfare. To land and besiege the city, they not only lacked manpower but also the corresponding land warfare equipment, making it impossible to form an effective blockade.

Moreover, according to the principles of military strategy, the attacking force must be at least four times larger than the defending force to have a chance of breaking through the city. If the goal is to besiege the city and prevent the enemy forces inside from escaping, even more troops are needed.

According to the reports from scouts, the Jurchen forces surrounding Shenyang currently number at least 200,000, and these are all elite troops with formidable combat capabilities.

This means that in order to completely besiege Shenyang and prevent any soldier from escaping, the Ming Dynasty would need at least 600,000 to 800,000 troops to form an impenetrable encirclement.

However, the reality was that the Mongol coalition led by Abunai and the Ming cavalry combined numbered only a little over 50,000, and Zheng Zhilong's naval forces could only spare 70,000 to 80,000 for landing operations. Including other scattered advance troops, the total force was only 130,000, which was far from the force needed to besiege Shenyang and could not form an effective siege.

Even though they were equipped with the latest rifles and flintlock muskets and had an advantage in firepower, the huge gap in troop strength was still an insurmountable weakness.

Even so, Sun Chuanting felt that they couldn't give up so easily. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, they had to try, since this was the best opportunity to completely eliminate the Jurchens. That's why he couldn't wait to ask Zhu Cilang for his opinion, wanting to see what this young but extremely shrewd crown prince was thinking and whether he had any ingenious plans to win.

Zu Dashou nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed intently on Zhu Cilang. Although he was a military general with a rough personality and not skilled in strategy, he knew the importance of besieging Shenyang and was well aware of the potential dangers that the Jurchens would pose if they withdrew. Therefore, he hoped that Zhu Cilang could come up with a feasible plan to prevent the Jurchens from escaping easily.

Just then, Zhu Cilang suddenly smiled calmly, a smile that carried a hint of confident certainty and a touch of deep-seated composure. He slowly stood up and said to the two of them:

"Both of you are pillars of the nation, dedicating yourselves to the Ming Dynasty until your dying breath. So, I will not hide anything from you. In fact, in my opinion, the current situation is not a threat to the Ming Dynasty, but rather the best possible outcome. Moreover, everything has been exactly as I predicted, without the slightest deviation."

At this point, Zhu Cilang paused, his gaze falling on a huge map hanging in the corner of the military tent. The map occupied half a wall and detailed the territories of the Ming Dynasty, the Jurchens, and Korea, as well as the mountains, rivers, passes, and fortresses of various places. Even the troop deployments in different places were clearly marked with different colors.

This map was specially commissioned by Zhu Cilang. He often stood alone in front of the map, pondering strategies for pacifying Liaodong and unifying the country.

Zhu Cilang resolutely stepped forward and stood before the enormous map. His gaze slowly swept over every corner of the map, and finally, he gently pointed to a spot, saying firmly:
“In the beginning, I did not regard Liaodong as the main battlefield for the decisive battle against the Jurchens. The real main battlefield is actually here.”

Upon hearing this, Zu Dashou and Sun Chuanting immediately stood up, walked quickly to the map, and looked in the direction Zhu Cilang was pointing.

When they saw clearly where Zhu Cilang was pointing, their eyelids twitched involuntarily, their expressions instantly turned to shock, their pupils contracted slightly, and even their breathing became a little rapid.

Because the place Zhu Cilang was pointing to was none other than Korea, located on the eastern side of the Liaodong Peninsula, facing the Ming Dynasty across the river.

The two instantly understood something: Zhu Cilang intended to make Korea the final battleground against the Jurchens!
But this was far too risky and too unbelievable! Korea was too far from the heartland of the Ming Dynasty, and there were mountains and rivers in between, making the roads rugged and the army's march extremely difficult. More importantly, the transportation of supplies would face enormous difficulties. If the supply could not keep up, the army would be in dire straits. In that case, not only would they be unable to eliminate the Jurchens, but they might also be completely wiped out.

Zu Dashou and Sun Chuanting were both veteran generals and senior officials who had experienced countless battles. They knew the importance of logistics and supplies to a large army. So when they thought of this, they couldn't help but feel a little worried and uneasy.

After a moment of silence, Zu Dashou took a deep breath, suppressing his shock and worry, and said in a trembling voice:
"May I ask, Your Highness, is it perhaps a prelude to attack Korea?"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting was startled. His body jolted, and the shock on his face deepened. He never expected Zu Dashou to say such a thing, and even doubted whether he had misheard.

It should be noted that Korea has been a tributary state of the Ming Dynasty since ancient times. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Korea has always been respectful to the Ming Dynasty, paying tribute every year without ever having any disloyal intentions. Moreover, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, personally ordered that Korea be listed as a country that should not be conquered, warning his descendants not to easily use force against Korea.

Now, His Highness the Crown Prince is actually going to take action against Korea. This is not only alarmist, but also a far cry from ancestral precepts.

Besides, their purpose for this trip was clearly to pacify Liaodong and eliminate the Jurchens, so how did it suddenly become an attack on Korea?
This sudden change was hard for Sun Chuanting to accept, and he was filled with doubt and confusion, and even a little bit of opposition.

Just as Sun Chuanting was still reeling from the shock, Zhu Cilang suddenly spoke again. He turned his head, smiled at the two of them—a smile that remained calm and composed, yet carried an undeniable firmness—and then slowly said:

"General Zu is right. In fact, our goal has never been just to destroy the Jurchens. There is an even more important goal: to conquer Korea and make it a true territory of our Great Ming, to incorporate it into the territory of the Great Ming and to be directly governed by the Great Ming."

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting froze, his body stiffening. He stood motionless, his face filled with undisguised shock, as if struck by lightning. He couldn't believe his ears. His Highness the Crown Prince actually intended to attack Korea and incorporate it into the Ming Dynasty's territory. This was utterly inconceivable, too audacious, and far too contrary to ancestral precepts. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat tight, unable to utter a single word. He could only stare blankly at Zhu Cilang, his eyes filled with disbelief.

After his initial surprise, Zu Dashou gradually regained his composure, and his expression became serious.

Although he was a military general with a rough personality, he knew the importance of Korea to the Ming Dynasty and what attacking Korea would mean. However, he was not as shocked as Sun Chuanting. In his opinion, as long as it could benefit the Ming Dynasty and pacify Liaodong, even if it violated ancestral teachings, it was not impossible. Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince was always far-sighted, and since he dared to put forward such an idea, he must have his reasons.

Zhu Cilang, seeing the starkly different expressions on the two men's faces, already understood the situation. He didn't urge them, but waited quietly until Sun Chuanting gradually calmed down and Zu Dashou sorted out his thoughts. Only then did he slowly speak, no longer hiding anything, and tell the two his entire plan and ideas one by one.

"As you both know, Korea has always been a headache since ancient times. Throughout history, the Central Plains dynasties have launched many wars against Korea, trying to incorporate it into their territory. However, most of the time, these efforts came to nothing, either because of the long distance and inadequate logistical support, or because Korea's terrain was treacherous and easy to defend, or because of internal instability that prevented them from concentrating their forces to attack. In the end, they could only let things fizzle out, leaving Korea to maintain its status as a vassal state."

Zhu Cilang looked at North Korea on the map again and said in a heavy tone:

"But as you all know, North Korea is a very important place geographically. It is located on the eastern side of the Liaodong Peninsula, bordering the Sea of ​​Japan to the east, the Yellow Sea to the west, Liaodong to the north, and Japan to the south. It is an important hub connecting Northeast China, Central China, and Japan."

He paused, then continued:
"If we can take over Korea and completely incorporate it into the territory of the Ming Dynasty, then we can firmly control the central part of the Northeast, forming an encirclement of the Liaodong hinterland. In the future, it will be much easier to control Liaodong and suppress the remnants of the Jurchen forces."

Secondly, we can use Korea as a springboard to directly control the seas of the Sea of ​​Japan and the Yellow Sea, thus deterring Japan. If we want to attack Japan or expand our overseas territory in the future, Korea will be the best base and transit point, bringing immeasurable benefits to the long-term development of our Great Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Cilang's words were clear and logical, and Zu Dashou and Sun Chuanting nodded in agreement after listening to him.

Indeed, Korea's geographical location was extremely important. Taking Korea would have been a great benefit to the Ming Dynasty for generations to come.

But when he thought about the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and Korea, and the ancestral precepts established by the founding emperor, Sun Chuanting still hesitated. He frowned and said earnestly:
“Your Highness, I understand what you have said. Taking over Korea would indeed be of great benefit to our Great Ming. However, the problem is that Korea has always been very obedient to our Great Ming and has never had any disloyal intentions. Moreover, it is a country that Emperor Taizu promised not to conquer. If we rashly take action against Korea, we will be without a legitimate reason. Not only will we be criticized by the people, but we will also violate our ancestral teachings and shake the hearts of the people. This is really not reasonable.”

Sun Chuanting was originally a civil official who believed in Confucianism throughout his life. He believed that everything he did should be justified and have a legitimate reason. In his view, war, especially wars against vassal states, must have a legitimate reason. Otherwise, it would be an unjust war that would not only be despised by the world but also damage the reputation of the Ming Dynasty and may even cause internal turmoil.

Therefore, even though he knew that taking over Korea would benefit the Ming Dynasty, he still could not accept taking rash action against Korea.

Although Zu Dashou was a rough man who didn't understand much about Confucian principles and didn't value the so-called just cause of war, he was aware of the tributary relationship between the Ming Dynasty and Korea and the ancestral precepts set by Emperor Taizu. For a moment, he was also a little troubled.

He frowned, and said thoughtfully:

“Your Highness, Lord Sun’s words make sense. After all, Korea is our vassal state and has always been very respectful. It would be inappropriate to take action rashly. Moreover, once we take action, we will have to divide our forces to deal with the Korean army, which may affect our grand plan to annihilate the Jurchens. It would be a loss for us.”

Seeing the hesitation and worry on their faces, Zhu Cilang was not in a hurry at all. Instead, he smiled and said in a relaxed tone:

"You two are overthinking it. What do you mean? When did I ever say that I would take the initiative to attack Korea? We have never intended to attack Korea. It's just that the Jurchens want to withdraw from Shenyang and retreat into the heart of Liaodong. Korea is strategically located and borders Liaodong. With nowhere else to go, the Jurchens will inevitably enter Korea to seek a place to breathe. At that time, in order to completely annihilate the Jurchens, we will have no choice but to lead our troops into Korea and engage them in a decisive battle on Korean soil."

At this point, a sly glint flashed in Zhu Cilang's eyes, and he continued:

"As for whether we leave after we have completely wiped out the Jurchens, how we leave, or what we do in Korea, that is not something that others can decide, much less the Korean king can decide. Our actions are nominally to pursue the Jurchens and eliminate the rebels. We have a legitimate reason for this, which will not violate our ancestral teachings, nor will it incur criticism from the people. Why not do it?"

Zu Dashou and Sun Chuanting were both intelligent men. Upon hearing Zhu Cilang's words, they instantly understood. The hesitation and worry on their faces vanished without a trace, replaced by shock and admiration.

They exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. They seemed not to have expected that this young crown prince would think so far ahead and come up with such a brilliant plan that would kill two birds with one stone.

In short, the plan was to deliberately allow the Jurchens to withdraw from Shenyang without any obstruction, luring them into Korean territory. Once inside Korea, the Ming army would then enter under the pretext of pursuing the Jurchens and suppressing rebels, engaging them in a decisive battle within Korean territory. After completely annihilating the remaining Jurchen forces, the Ming army could then legitimately occupy the entire Korean peninsula and firmly control the situation there. (End of Chapter)