Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 504: Division Period and Headhunting Team

503 Division and Headhunter Team

The crowd cheered loudly and left the palace in an orderly manner, marking the end of the ceremony in which the newly-minted Jinshi presented their thanks. Tomorrow, the Jinshi would have to perform the "Release of Vegetables" ceremony at the Confucius Temple, return their Jinshi robes to the Imperial College, and participate in the ceremony of engraving their names on a stele. However, these trivial matters had little relevance to the emperor, and he did not need to personally participate. He only needed to give a formal "approval" on the memorial submitted by the Ministry of Rites.

At 9:00 am, the Prime Minister Fang Congzhe, following the emperor's instructions, went against the flow of people to the Qianqing Gate, waiting for the emperor's summons. By the time Wang An personally led Fang Congzhe to the Hongde Hall, the emperor had already changed out of his beautiful but inconvenient leather uniform.

"Your servant Fang Congzhe pays homage to the Emperor, long live the Emperor!" Fang Congzhe had no time and no place to change his clothes, so he still wore the first-grade court dress with the seven-beam crown, jade belt and jade pendant as its distinctive features.

"Please sit down." Zhu Changluo pointed to a well-placed wooden stool with cushions to Fang Congzhe.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Fang Congzhe thanked him and took his seat. Wang An also walked to the door and closed it with his own hands.

"I heard that Ye Qing didn't go to the Li family with you yesterday?" Zhu Changluo sat leaning under the plaque that read "Serve the Three Selflessly", his posture very relaxed and leisurely.

"Your Majesty," Fang Congzhe's heart trembled, but his expression remained unchanged. "Xiang Gao certainly did not go with us to the Li family."

"Why?" Zhu Changluo asked with a smile.

"Xiang Gao thought that he didn't know much about the guardianship matter, and he wouldn't be able to say anything useful if he went there, and might even cause more trouble. So he went back." Fang Congzhe replied.

"I don't know the details, tsk!" Zhu Changluo said pretentiously: "Ye Qing is blaming me."

"Guardianship is a unique military strategy and should be kept secret!" Fang Congzhe stood up immediately. "Furthermore, when Xu Guangqi first proposed this idea, it was unfortunately leaked, and I suffered greatly from it. Now, the emperor is so thoughtful, and Xiang Gao and I are deeply encouraged and encouraged. How can we complain? Moreover, Xiang Gao and I were the ones who brought this together in the first place."

"Haha, why are you so nervous?" Zhu Changluo smiled lightly and waved his hand to stop Fang Congzhe. "People, thinking too much and living too thoroughly is not a good thing." Zhu Changluo turned his head. "Wang An."

"I'm here." Wang An replied.

"If you're feeling down, drink some wine. Send someone to the Imperial Winery to pick out two jars of good wine for Ye Qing. Let him cheer himself up." Zhu Changluo had once read Ye Xianggao's collected works and found him quite interesting. Judging from Ye Xianggao's own writings, he was someone who saw things very clearly, yet at the same time couldn't help but write about them privately.

When Ye Xianggao's teacher, Shen Shixing, was still alive, Ye Xianggao repeatedly wrote to him complaining about the terrible working environment in the cabinet. He not only declared his resignation but also called for the cabinet to be abolished and the Hongwu system to be restored. However, Ye Xianggao couldn't escape, and he couldn't abolish the cabinet. So he could only struggle to stay in the cabinet until Fang Congzhe and Wu Daonan stepped in to take the blame.

"I'm afraid Ye Ci Fu will 'drink to forget his sorrow' but only become more sorrowful." Wang An smiled and nodded.

"Then I won't bother with him." Zhu Changluo shrugged and pointed at the stool under Fang Congzhe's butt. "Tell me. How did you guys discuss it?"

Fang Congzhe felt a little relieved. "Your Majesty. Yesterday, the five of us discussed the possibility of sending troops to Korea with Li Rube, Li Huaizhong, and Li Xiaozhong. Cui Jingrong and Shen Yourong proposed emulating the Tang Dynasty's attack on Goguryeo. Two naval armies should be launched from Penglai and Chengshan in Dengzhou, Shandong, heading directly to Pyongyang and Hanyang. Simultaneously, a land army should be launched south from Zhenjiang down the Yalu River to control all the cities and forts from Yizhou to Changcheng to prevent the enemy from advancing south."

"Where is Changcheng?" Zhu Changluo asked with his eyes closed.

"Your Majesty, Changcheng is located upstream of Yizhou, and there are mountains above it." Fang Congzhe remembered it clearly.

"Master, do you want to use a map?" Wang An asked.

"No need. It's just Changcheng." Zhu Changluo thought carefully and quickly mapped the outlines of the Shandong Peninsula, the Korean Peninsula, and the Bohai and Yellow Seas sandwiched between the two islands. Gradually, several lines with arrows appeared on the map.

"What did Li Rubai say?" Zhu Changluo opened his eyes.

"Li Rubai said he had no experience in sea crossing battles, so he didn't raise any objection to this," Fang Congzhe replied.

"How many troops are needed?" Zhu Changluo nodded. The Liaodong Ming army truly had no experience in seaborne warfare. In this regard, Shen Yourong, with his extensive experience in Southeast Asia and his success in defeating Japanese pirates in Fujian waters, repelling the Dutch, and recruiting pirates, was undoubtedly more qualified to weigh in. It was precisely with this in mind that Zhu Changluo instructed Cui Jingrong to summon Shen Yourong to Beijing to serve as the military commander overseeing Korea.

"Your Majesty," Fang Congzhe said, "Ten thousand troops will be deployed along the route from Penglai to Pyongyang. Fifteen thousand troops will be deployed along the route from Chengshan to Hanyang. And for the route from Yizhou to Changcheng, the troops from Zhenjiang will directly take over the defense."

"Twenty-five thousand people? It's just North Korea, do they need so many people?" Zhu Changluo's contempt for North Korea's military strength was even greater than Li Rubai's.

Objectively speaking, the reason why the Joseon Dynasty adopted a diplomatic strategy of "playing both sides" between Ming and Jin was not only due to factors related to King Lee Hun himself, but also because the military strength of the Joseon Dynasty was really weak.

Or perhaps it could be argued that the Ming dynasty, as a "kind father," was so good that it had spoiled the "filial son" of Joseon. Now, the "filial son," feeling itchy, dared to become overly friendly with the "hooligans" of his neighborhood—this is what Xu Guangqi called "the friendship between the Xian slaves has become." At such times, the "kind father" needed to teach his son a lesson, helping him to cultivate his ambition and strengthen his muscles—this was called "guardianship."

A loving father would have taught his son a lesson by simply whipping him. But sending out 25,000 men at once—was he planning to beat his son to death with clubs?

Fang Congzhe was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the emperor to treat North Korea so lightly. He was sending two armies simultaneously to attack the two important cities of Pyongyang and Seoul. While the North Koreans wouldn't necessarily resist, if King Lee Hyun was truly desperate enough to organize a resistance, and Seoul couldn't be taken immediately, wouldn't the Heavenly Army be in an awkward position?

"Your Majesty," Fang Congzhe thought for a moment and explained, "When deploying surprising tactics, we must act swiftly. Sending 25,000 soldiers, armed with firearms for the siege, will ensure a complete and effective response. Furthermore, beyond military considerations, our troops must also maintain stability in the cities. This is especially true when the Heavenly Army first arrives in Xian territory. If bandits and robbers take advantage of the chaos, it will damage the reputation of our dynasty. Once the situation stabilizes, we can gradually withdraw our troops, or send them north to aid Liao."

"Well, it's better to be safe." Zhu Changluo thought for a moment and nodded. "Where are you going to find these 25,000 people?"

"Send 10,000 soldiers from Shandong, station 2,500 soldiers in Tongzhou to support southern Liaoning, and the remaining 12,500 soldiers will be dispatched from the Beijing garrison. The soldiers stationed in Tongzhou to support southern Liaoning were newly recruited, and transferring them to Korea is also a roundabout way to support Liaoning. The gap caused by withdrawing soldiers from Shandong and the Beijing garrison can be slowly filled by ordering the Governor's Office to withdraw military households or the remaining men of military households. In this way, troops can be dispatched to Korea in the shortest time possible, and there will be no shortage of troops." Fang Congzhe finished talking about the use of troops, replenishment of troops, and the schedule of the division in one breath.

"Yes," Zhu Changluo nodded directly. "But under what pretext will the court transfer these 15,000 people?"

Fang Congzhe had already thought about it. "I think we could transfer these 15,000 men to Shandong under the pretext of strengthening coastal defenses against Japanese pirates."

"Are there any Japanese pirates in Shandong that we need to guard against?" Zhu Changluo said.

"Your Majesty," Fang Congzhe said, "This is just a temporary cover-up. It will be enough to conceal the fact that the two armies have left Korea."

"That's right." Zhu Changluo asked again, "How long does it take to get from the capital to Dengzhou?"

Fang Congzhe said, "The distance from the capital to Dengzhou is a total of 1,600 li, which normally takes 20 days to march. After arriving in Dengzhou, we will spend another 10 days resting and preparing, and then we can set off fully prepared."

"So it will take a month from breaking camp to getting ready?" "Yes."

"Let's take it easy. Let's set the date for the expedition on May 1st," said Zhu Changluo.

"Yes."

"Alright." Zhu Changluo waved his hand. "Go and make the arrangements. Follow this plan. The cabinet should draft the documents for the government offices that require imperial decrees as soon as possible so I can sign them."

"This..." Fang Congzhe stood up, but seemed to have no intention of leaving.

"Does the Prime Minister have anything else to say?"

Fang Congzhe had thought the emperor would ask who led each of the three armies, so he could then reveal Yuan Keli's journey north to Liaodong, detouring through Zhenjiang. "Yes. I have another matter, and I hope Your Majesty will make the decision."

"You say." Zhu Changluo waved down.

Fang Congzhe understood and sat down again. "Yuan Keli intends to split his forces with Shen Yourong. While the troops from the Jingying and Tongzhou Southern Divisions march south to Dengzhou, Yuan Keli will march north alone, first to Liaodong, to discuss with Xiong Tingbi a strategy of attacking from both east and west to jointly contain the enemy. Finally, he will stop in Zhenjiang and personally lead the Zhenjiang troops across the Yalu River to take over the defense of Yizhou."

"Go to Liaodong?" Zhu Changluo frowned.

"It's less than a thousand miles from Yizhou to Hanyang. If we ride our horses at full speed and drive them day and night, we can reach the destination in less than ten days. During this period, the general can temporarily place the deposed king under house arrest and keep him under strict supervision until the guardianship order is announced." Fang Congzhe still supported letting Yuan Keli go to Liaodong first.

"." Zhu Changluo did not respond.

Fang Congzhe thought the emperor was concerned that a military commander wasn't suited to governing, so he added, "Shen Yourong is known as a Confucian general. He's always measured and never rash. If I give him some personal instructions before the Eastern Expedition, I think everything will be fine." He waited a moment longer, and when the emperor still didn't respond, Fang Congzhe gave up. "If Your Majesty finds it inappropriate, I'll refuse him."

"Wait a few days." Zhu Changluo let out a long breath. "It won't be too late to consider it after the battle report from Shenyang reaches Beijing."

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East of Liaodong, outside Yagu Pass, a team of headhunters crossed the unguarded rammed earth Great Wall and entered deep into the Jin-occupied territory.

"Brother, are we really going to operate outside the Great Wall?" Li Xian pulled on Lending Xiu's sleeve. "Let's go back."

"What should you call me?" Ding Xiu rolled up his sleeves and gave Li Xian a blank look.

"Captain Ding, Captain Ding." Li Xian shrank his head awkwardly.

"That's all. I'm an officer and you're a soldier, just follow my orders." Ding Xiu raised his head to the sky, looking like a smug villain.

"Heh." At the end of the team, a not-so-gentle female voice clearly reached Ding Xiu's ears.

"What are you laughing at?" Ding Xiu turned around, tilted his head, and had a typical villain look on his face.

"What kind of official are you?" Ding Baiying looked around, seeing no sign of human activity, and raised his voice a little. "What rank?"

"Don't be so arrogant, you southerner," Ding Xiu crossed his arms over his chest, "I've tolerated you for a long time."

"If you can't bear it, don't bear it." Ding Baiying stretched out his right hand and hooked it at Ding Xiu provocatively.

"I have five people." Although Ding Xiu was a rough man, he could not beat Ding Baiying, a martial artist who had practiced martial arts for many years.

"No, you're alone. They won't help you." Ding Baiying looked around, seeing only four cowering, exhausted faces. "We've been out of town for almost ten days now, hunting rabbits and eating roe deer. We haven't seen any bandits, but we have managed to skin several hides." Ding Baiying pointed at a burly man carrying a bag and said contemptuously, "Captain Ding, when did we switch to the fur business?"

"You know shit!" Ding Xiu said, "I chose this route just to get you bunch of idiots out of the Great Wall safely. It's almost April. The enemy will surely make a big move. If you don't avoid them now, and you run into scouts on horseback, with your fancy boxing and leg skills, you won't be able to withstand a single charge. By then, it won't matter to us grown men, we can just kill ourselves. But you, a woman, I'm afraid you won't be able to rest in peace even after your death." As he spoke, Ding Xiu rubbed his chest in a rather rogue manner.

"Say it again!" Ding Baiying's face flushed red with anger at the provocation. But she didn't draw her sword against her own people.

"Heh! I'll tell you what you want me to tell you." Ding Xiu rolled his eyes fiercely.

"Alright, Master Ding, don't worry about him," Li Xian said, moving closer to Ding Baiying. "He's uneducated, so don't bother with him."

Snapped!
A small stone flew over and hit Li Xian on the head.

"You bastard! I'm your savior and your adoptive parent! Are you going to turn your elbow away from me like that?" Ding Xiu cursed.

"You really haven't been to school." Li Xian shrank his head.

"Hmph, that's true." Ding Baiying turned his head and smiled at Li Xian.

Li Xian blushed and didn't dare to look directly at Ding Baiying.

"Captain Ding," Ding Baiying sighed. "Now that we're out of the Great Wall, where should we go next?"

Along the way, the team leader Ding Xiu never mentioned the final destination, and the group did not pass any obvious landmarks. It was not until just now that the remaining five people realized that Ding Xiu was going to take them out of the Great Wall.

"Two miles south of here is Yagu Pass," Ding Xiu asked Li Xian with a sly grin. "Tell our Master Ding, after passing Yagu Pass, where is it if we go another eighty miles northeast?"

"Is it, is it Hetuala!?" Li Xian was shocked.

(End of this chapter)