Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 502 Using Troops
"Okay." Through this series of questions and answers, Shen Yourong at least had a preliminary understanding of the strength of the North Korean army. "What about Pyongyang?" Shen Yourong pointed at Pyongyang and asked, "Suppose we encounter resistance and need to storm Pyongyang, is this city easy to capture?"

Li Rubai thought for a moment and said, "Pyongyang is indeed the most important city in North Korea, but by our standards, it's not a strong city. During the Battle of Pyongyang, Lieutenant General Li Fangchun and I attacked the western section of the Ordinary Gate. The wall at Ordinary Gate is not high, far inferior to that of the Liaoshen. Without heavy armor, a person could easily reach the top of the wall by lifting their feet. And as I said earlier, the Battle of Pyongyang ended in just one day. The Japanese pirates may not be a strong enemy, but they are far stronger than the Koreans. Even if they were defending the city, Pyongyang would still take place in a day. If the Koreans were stationed there instead, I'm afraid someone would have abandoned the city and fled as soon as we set out to attack."

"What about Seoul?" Shen Yourong asked.

"Wangjing Hanyang." This time, Li Rubai pondered for a longer time. "I didn't stay in Wangjing for very long, so I don't have a deep impression of this place. Let's put it this way, apart from the ancestral temple of the Xian King, Wangjing might not even be as good as Pyongyang. At least the outer city walls must be lower than Pyongyang. Compared to the high walls of the capital, it's like a dirt wall."

"Isn't that so?" Shen Yourong asked in surprise. "No city in the world is more important than the capital. Seoul is the capital of Korea after all. How could it be inferior to Pyongyang?"

"Seoul is further south." Li Rubai smiled softly and said, "Think about it the other way around. If Emperor Chengzu Wen hadn't moved the capital to Beiping, the capital wouldn't be built like this today. Joseon's enemies have always been the Jurchens to the north. Therefore, Joseon has always defended the north, not the south. If it weren't for the two 'Japanese Rebellions', the Japanese pirates on the southern seas would have been nothing more than a minor nuisance to Joseon. As the saying goes, if there's no danger, there's no preparation. With the Ming Dynasty protecting us, it's no exaggeration to say that Joseon has enjoyed peace for 250 years."

"That's true." Shen Yourong nodded and asked, "But didn't they learn from the two 'Japanese invasions' and strengthen the city's defenses?"

"At least I haven't heard of such a thing." Li Rubai shook his head.

Shen Yourong thought for a moment, then said, "I don't have anything else to ask for the time being. General Li, do you have any other opinions?"

"No objection! I've always thought this three-pronged attack was a good idea." Li Rubai put on an ingratiating smile, looked around at everyone, and finally fixed his gaze on the face of Prime Minister Fang Congzhe. "I just don't know if I'll have a chance to make a comeback."

"Of course there is." Fang Congzhe continued, "The emperor wants you, Zizhen, to serve as an assistant under Shihong for a period of time. The emperor knows about your young master's affairs, and so do we, but other people outside don't know yet. And even if some people know, they will pretend not to know. So, Zizhen, you have to understand."

Fang Congzhe is supporting Shen Yourong.

Shen Yourong is indeed a veteran who has fought in many battles in the north and south, but if compared with Li Rubai, Shen Yourong's experience is still much less.

Fang Congzhe inquired with Ye Xianggao and learned that in the eighth year of the Wanli reign, Shen Yourong failed the military examination and was appointed to command the army of Liang Menglong, the Governor-General of Ji and Liao. By then, Li Rubai was already a guerrilla general holding the rank of Third Rank Commander-in-Chief. Furthermore, to this day, Li Rubai's title of First Rank Right Commander-in-Chief had not been revoked by the emperor. Making Shen Yourong Li Rubai's superior was a case of a lower-ranking official being promoted to a higher-ranking official. This phenomenon was common and not problematic in an environment where civil officials controlled military power, but it was extremely dangerous when military power was used against military power.

"Haha," Li Rubai said, his usual candor. "What's the big deal? The Emperor is wise, the Prime Minister is benevolent, and they're willing to speak up for me during this time of strife, giving me the opportunity to speak my mind and prove my innocence. I'm already deeply moved, so how could I dare to ask for more? Forget about being a military officer, even a stable boy would be fine. Besides, General Shen and I are old acquaintances, having shared a glorious time together in our youth."

"Do you know each other?" Fang Congzhe hadn't forgotten that Li Rubai had asked Shen Yourong's name when they met. His puzzled expression didn't seem like that of old friends meeting.

"My first experience in battle was in the army of the Earl of Ningyuan," Shen Yourong continued, his voice trembling, quite moved. "Time flies. It's been almost thirty years since we last met. If we were in another place, I wouldn't even recognize Brother Zizhen. But if I saw the eldest young master, I might take the liberty of calling him Brother Zizhen."

Li Huaizhong was stunned for a moment, then glanced at his father inconspicuously: Are they that similar?
"Then I'm relieved." Fang Congzhe smiled gratifiedly and turned to look at Yuan Keli. "Li Qing, you are the guardian appointed by the emperor. What are your thoughts on the military strategy proposed by Ziqiang and Shihong?"

Even though Cui Jingrong and Shen Yourong had already finalized the strategy for sending troops to Korea when they were "reporting" at the Ministry of War, when the Ming army actually crossed the sea to Korea, Yuan Keli would still have to make the final decision and be the leader.

"I agree with this three-pronged plan," Yuan Keli said with a smile, "but I'm not sure how many troops will be needed for each of these three routes, and where will they be recruited from?"

"Self-reliance," Fang Congzhe nodded and looked at his soldier Cui Jingrong. "What do you think?"

"Prime Minister, everyone," Cui Jingrong bowed, then pointed to Pyongyang on the map and said, "This afternoon, Lieutenant General Shen and I were researching the war to resist the Japanese invaders and aid Korea." Cui Jingrong tilted his head slightly to look at Li Rusong. "That's the one where Earl of Ningyuan was the governor of Korea, and General Li assisted." After Li Rusong was ambushed and killed in battle, the late Emperor Wanli made an exception and bestowed upon him the title of Earl of Ningyuan. Therefore, the title of Earl of Ningyuan can refer to both Li Chengliang and Li Rusong.

"At that time, to capture Pyongyang, where 25,000 Japanese soldiers were stationed, the Earl of Ningyuan led a total of 38,000 troops from the north and south, attacking Pyongyang from four directions. They captured it in one day. According to General Li's description, the North Korean army was far inferior to the Japanese. While we shouldn't underestimate them, we shouldn't worry too much either. Moreover, our Heavenly Army is a righteous army. Once we enter North Korean territory, the North Korean army will most likely not resist. Even if we truly need to siege and attack them, there's no need to gather them together and annihilate them. Therefore, I believe that we only need to send 10,000 troops, with a sufficient amount of artillery, to attack one of the gates. Once that gate is captured, Pyongyang will fall."

As he spoke, Cui Jingrong moved his finger to the royal capital, Hancheng. "As General Li said, Hancheng is not as strong as Pyongyang and would be easier to capture. However, Hancheng is the capital of Korea. Members of the royal family, civil and military officials, and their families are all gathered there. We need more troops to maintain law and order and prevent those who exploit the situation to cause chaos and use the name of the Heavenly Army to tarnish the reputation of our Celestial Empire. Therefore, I believe that we should increase the number of troops appropriately, and 15,000 is appropriate."

"As for Yizhou. This place has close exchanges with our dynasty and has never set up defenses against us. Besides, there are nearly 20,000 troops around Zhenjiang, so there is no need to send more. It should be enough to just call on the Zhenjiang troops to take over the city defense." Cui Jingrong said finally.

"Liqing, Shihong, Zizhen, what do you think?" Fang Congzhe asked.

Neither Yuan Keli nor Shen Yourong immediately expressed their opinions, but instead silently looked at Li Rubai. "Twenty-five thousand men, and you're still flattering the Korean Empire," Li Rubai said with a smile. "If it were the elite soldiers my late brother brought with him, they could have completely plowed the entire Korean Peninsula from top to bottom."

Fang Congzhe looked at Yuan Keli and Shen Yourong. Seeing that they had no intention of expressing any other opinions, he asked Cui Jingrong, "Where can the Ministry of War transfer the 25,000 troops for Li Qing and his men?"

Cui Jingrong thought for a moment. "First, the Shandong troops. They're the closest troops. All the camps in Shandong have immediately mobilized 10,000 soldiers. Only another 15,000 are needed to complete the deployment."

"If all the troops in Shandong are withdrawn, what will Shandong do?" Fang Congzhe asked.

"Replenishment," Cui Jingrong said without hesitation, "You can ask the Emperor to issue an edict, having the Left Military Governor's Office send a letter to the Shandong Military Commissioner, instructing them to transfer personnel based on household registration to replenish the various camps. Of course, you can also directly transfer personnel based on household registration in Shandong to make up the 25,000 troops needed to monitor Korea. This way, there would be no need to draw troops from other places. However, in that case, most of the soldiers would be untrained recruits, and they might not be very useful."

"Even if they are useful, we can't transfer them! Twenty-five thousand elite soldiers were withdrawn in one go. Shandong will have no coastal defense." Fang Congzhe said, "Just transfer ten thousand. Let the Left Government send more people to supplement them, so that each camp cannot be empty. What about the others?" There have always been remnants of the White Lotus in Shandong, so it is necessary to maintain several troops that can be mobilized at any time.

"More than 2,500 southern soldiers who were newly recruited and trained in Nanzhi and Zhejiang last year have moved to Tongzhou and have been armed. According to the original plan, this battalion of southern soldiers was to be sent to Liaozhen. However, they are still on standby. You can petition the emperor to change the transfer." Cui Jingrong replied.

"Zhezhinan soldiers." Fang Congzhe asked thoughtfully, "Is the commander of this battalion called Huang Diaohuan?"

"Yes, that's him. He was just appointed." Cui Jingrong nodded. "Huang Diaohuan is Huang Shaofu's great-nephew. He was originally a military scholar. Last year, he transported a batch of artillery to Liaodong at his own expense, for which he was awarded a merit. So I recommended him to fill this position as a guerrilla commander."

"anything else?"

"The Tianjin Coastal Defense Battalion and the Tianjin Governor's Battalion together have approximately 5,000 men."

"These two battalions cannot be transferred," Fang Congzhe waved his hand. "The Tianjin Governor's Battalion is to be used to prevent those with ulterior motives from inciting unrest among the river workers, while the Tianjin Coastal Defense Battalion is to be used to escort Liao military pay."

"That's all," Cui Jingrong shook his head. "Except for the two battalions in Tianjin, all the combat-ready troops in the north are stationed in the five garrisons of Jizhou, Liaodong, Shanxi, Xuanfu, and Datong to defend against the Mongols and the Jurchens. If they were withdrawn to Korea, it would likely leave a troop deficit in the short term, giving the enemy an opening to exploit." Cui Jingrong paused and suggested, "If we need to act urgently but don't need the strongest troops, we could first request an imperial decree to transfer personnel from the Beijing Camp or the Patrol Camp. Then, like in Shandong, we could gradually replenish the force by withdrawing military households."

The main function of the Beijing Battalion was to defend the capital, while the Patrol Battalion was to maintain law and order in the vicinity of the capital. Sending these men to the front lines to reclaim lost territory would be like giving them away for nothing. However, if they were simply sent to Korea to fill the gap, they would still be useful.

"Yes." Fang Congzhe felt that the emperor would allow them to transfer troops from Beijing. "What about military equipment?"

"That's no problem. Since the 47th year of the Wanli reign, Huang Shaofu has been vigorously cleaning up the military administration, and the palace has provided ample support. To replenish weapons, the military equipment bureau's treasury was almost emptied," Cui Jingrong said. "I recently visited the three major camps. It can be said that, aside from rarely seeing blood, the soldiers of the Beijing camp are not much different from combat soldiers and can be deployed anywhere. Based on General Li's description of the Koreans, transferring Beijing camp soldiers to Korea shouldn't be a problem."

Fang Congzhe nodded and turned to look at Yuan Keli and Shen Yourong. "Shandong troops, Beijing garrison troops, and Zhejiang direct south troops. Tomorrow I will go to the Emperor and report your deployment of the Ming Dynasty army's inner marching speed. I ask the Emperor to complete these 25,000 troops for you. But it will not be enough. The Emperor will definitely ask about the timeframe. I need you to come up with a timeframe."

"The Liao situation is urgent, so the sooner the better. If the soldiers can be deployed immediately without training, then I suggest setting sail next month." Yuan Keli asked Shen Yourong, "Can you do it?"

"It should be possible. The most critical route is from Chengshan to Hancheng. The time for the other two routes should be adjusted based on this." Shen Yourong looked at the map, as if explaining, but also as if talking to himself. "From the capital to Dengzhou, a normal march will take twenty days. After arriving, it is best to spend another five or six days to arrange and deploy, and load the food and fodder onto the ship. A month!" Shen Yourong looked at Yuan Keli. "From the time the troops are counted in the Beijing camp to the time they are ready to board the ship, it is best to allow a month. This is the safest time. If a forced march is required, the total time can be reduced to around twenty days. But that would be too tiring."

"A month is fine." Yuan Keli nodded slightly. "I just want to go to Liaozhen for a walk."

"Liaozhen?" Shen Yourong asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to Shandong with me?"

"The main purpose of supervising Korea is to defend Liaodong. If I don't go to Liaodong to take a look and meet Xiong Jinglüe, how can I know the current situation in Liaodong and make Korea cooperate with Liaodong? Two generals are enough to cross the sea and go directly to Pyongyang and Seoul. And I will go to Liaodong," Shen Yourong drew a route on the map from the capital to Shanhaiguan, from Shanhaiguan to Guangning, from Guangning to Liaoyang, and finally from Liaoyang all the way south and around Liaonan to Zhenjiang.

"Finally, I will stay in Zhenjiang and wait for the arrival of the division." Shen Yourong emphasized the location of Zhenjiang and said with a glance downward, "Once the division arrives, I will lead the Zhenjiang troops across the Yalu River and control Yizhou."

"While dividing the troops this way is fine," Shen Yourong hesitated, "how can I face the King of Xian and the Crown Prince if the Guardian is not present?"

(End of this chapter)