Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 386 Liaodong Dungeon Walkthrough
The next day, as dawn broke, the morning bell on the corner tower of Shanhaiguan rang out in the wind.

Another key figure in this war also came from afar across the Liaohai Sea.

Mao Wenlong, General of Dongjiang.

Before the emperor's procession even reached Shanhaiguan, Mao Wenlong, under the arrangement of Sun Chengzong, had already secretly arrived at the military port outside the pass by boat from Pi Island, braving the still-unmelted floating ice.

At this moment, he was waiting quietly in a side hall of the governor's mansion. His heart, weathered by time, was pounding wildly like that of a young soldier going to war for the first time, almost leaping out of his chest.

Over the years, Mao Wenlong has been guarding Pi Island, truly like a wild grass orphan, unloved by his father and mother.

He was first targeted by Wei Zhongxian's eunuch faction, who saw him as a thorn in their side and made things difficult for him in every way; then he was attacked relentlessly by officials in the court, who accused him of wasting money overseas and exaggerating his military achievements.

Pi Island was a hellish place isolated behind enemy lines, but also a monument soaked in blood, tears, and hope.

However, the cycle of fate is endless, and after the worst comes the best.

Since the new emperor ascended the throne, everything has changed.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, it was as if he had opened his eyes to the heavens, and he immediately saw the immense strategic value of Dongjiang Town, this overseas thorn in his side.

He granted all of Mao Wenlong's requests.

Food, weapons, pay, firearms, and even scarce medicinal herbs and iron were transported to Pi Island by ship after ship, in an endless stream.

That trust and kindness were like a timely rain from heaven, giving new life to parched seedlings.

Dongjiang Town has come back to life!

Not only did it survive, but under the nourishment of this boundless imperial grace, it also grew back sharp fangs and iron claws!

The thought of meeting this young emperor, whom he had never met but whom he already regarded as his second parents, filled Mao Wenlong with an overwhelming surge of emotion, like a spring tide crashing against the shore.

He meticulously adjusted his already faded armor over and over again, fearing that the slightest mishap would disgrace the imperial authority.

"Summon General Mao Wenlong of Dongjiang to an audience—"

As the eunuch announced the news in a long, drawn-out voice, Mao Wenlong took a deep breath, suppressed the myriad thoughts in his mind, straightened his clothes, and stepped into the main hall of the Governor-General's Mansion, which would determine the fate of Liaodong.

The hall was brightly lit by candlelight, and the huge map still hung in the center.

Sun Chengzong stood to one side, while a young man dressed in a black dragon-patterned robe sat in the main seat.

The moment Mao Wenlong's gaze met that of the young man, his heart skipped a beat, and he involuntarily paused for a moment.

The emperor... is too young!
It was a face so handsome it was almost excessive, with exquisite features and fair skin. If it weren't for the dragon aura surrounding him, at first glance he would have looked like a well-read young master from a prestigious family.

Yet, on such a young face, those eyes were as deep as the ancient starry sky, as serene as if they had witnessed a thousand years of vicissitudes.

Youth and maturity, naivety and experience—two completely opposite qualities coexist in one person in such harmony and intensity!
This intense sense of contradiction brings with it an indescribable pressure, an absolute control that seems to see through people's hearts and understand the ways of the world.

With just one glance, Mao Wenlong understood that the man before him was no weak monarch confined to the inner palace, but a truly unparalleled ruler capable of governing this vast empire and restoring its glory!
"Your subject, Mao Wenlong, General of Dongjiang of the Great Ming Dynasty, kowtows to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Mao Wenlong took a few quick steps and bowed deeply in the direction of Zhu Youjian, performing the grand ceremony of a subject to a ruler.

That muffled thud was the direct impact of his helmet hitting the ground, and also the eruption of the gratitude and loyalty that had been building up in his heart for so long.

"Your Majesty's grace is boundless, like rain and thunder. Your subject and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang have burned incense and prayed for Your Majesty day and night. Your Majesty has bestowed upon me and Dongjiang a second life, a debt I can never repay even with my life!"

Zhu Youjian slowly walked up to Mao Wenlong and personally helped him up.

Those hands were warm yet strong.

"Minister Mao, please rise. While I was in the capital, my thoughts were constantly on the war situation in Liaodong; and within the Liaodong war situation, my thoughts were always on your tens of thousands of loyal and brave soldiers who were stranded overseas. I have only fulfilled my duty as a monarch, how can I claim to have rebuilt the nation? It is you who truly uphold the eastern border of my Great Ming!"

His words were sincere and earnest, without the slightest embellishment.

Mao Wenlong felt a surge of emotion rush to his eyes, an emotion he had never felt even amidst danger or peril.

As Mao Wenlong stood up, the emperor's gaze fell on his weathered face, which was deeply lined with wrinkles, bearing the marks of time and the erosion of the sea wind.

This truly reflects the valiant spirit of a general who has endured countless hardships to defend the country's borders.

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly and said to Sun Chengzong beside him, "Grand Tutor, everyone is here. Today, let the three of us, the emperor and his minister, make the final move in this grand game of Liaodong!"

"As you command!" Sun Chengzong bowed and replied.

The three gathered around the huge map once again, this time with an even more resolute and sharp atmosphere than yesterday.

If yesterday's military council was about deciding the national policy of whether or not to fight, then today's meeting is about finalizing the details of how to fight and how to win.

Zhu Youjian personally picked up the command pole, his eyes blazing as he stared directly at Mao Wenlong.

"Minister Mao, I know that your Dongjiang soldiers are all veterans of countless battles, and I also know that your long-cherished wish is to fight the Jurchens honorably on the Liaodong plain. Today, I will give you that opportunity!"

The emperor's command pole moved eastward from Shanhaiguan, eventually focusing on the sea area located in the heart of the Jurchen territory.

"As we and the Grand Tutor previously discussed, your Dongjiang Army, Mao Wenlong, will play a dual role as both the spearhead and the pincers in this battle!"

A dagger? Iron pincers? Mao Wenlong's breath hitched, and his eyes flashed with astonishing light. Sun Chengzong took over the conversation, and in his aged yet steady voice, began to explain this earth-shattering overall offensive strategy.

"Wenlong, look. This is the overall strategy: Our Mongol allied forces in Xuanda and southern Mongolia will form an impregnable wall, completely blocking the Jurchens' northern rear and cutting off their supply of men and horses; our main royal army in Shanhaiguan and the Liaoxi Corridor will launch a frontal general offensive, like Mount Tai pressing down, to contain their main force. This is the main force!"

The old commander's baton steadily swept across the northern and southern fronts. Then, the tip of the baton suddenly turned, pointing directly at the sea area between North Korea and Pi Island, like a sharp sword about to be drawn!

“And you,” Sun Chengzong said, looking at Mao Wenlong, “your Dongjiang Army is the greatest surprise force of our Great Ming in this battle! Your troops must set off from the sea at the same time as the main force launches its general offensive, like a sharp knife piercing straight into the heart of the Jurchens! You must either attack their supply lines, burn their armories, or directly threaten Shengjing! You must ensure that they cannot support each other from both ends and are thrown into chaos! Ultimately, together with our main army, you will form a perfect pincer attack from the north and south, with the attack blossoming from the rear!”

Mao Wenlong had considered that Dongjiang Town would play an important role in this battle, but he never expected that the emperor and Sun Chengzong would place such great trust and responsibility in him!
This is to treat the entire Dongjiang Town as a decisive factor in determining the fate of the nation, directly stabbing Huang Taiji in the heart!

Mao Wenlong felt his blood burning, and the fighting spirit that had been suppressed for many years erupted like a volcano!
His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned slightly white from the force, and his eyes shimmered with tears and blazing fire.

"Your Majesty! Grand Secretary Sun!"

His voice was hoarse and trembling, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"This day, I, Mao Wenlong, along with tens of thousands of soldiers from Dongjiang and hundreds of thousands of Liaodong people enslaved by the Jurchens, have waited for far too long!"

At this point, the endless grievances he had suffered over the years, the excruciating pain of losing his comrades in battle, the boundless loneliness of being stranded overseas, and the overwhelming emotion of being entrusted with the fate of the nation by the emperor... all these emotions intertwined and instantly overwhelmed the tear ducts of this iron-willed man.

Tears streamed down my face!

A fierce border general who had fought through mountains of corpses and seas of blood without ever flinching was now sobbing uncontrollably.

This is not weakness, but rather the genuine emotion of finally finding a kindred spirit after being tempered by fire, and finally witnessing the fulfillment of a lifelong dream!

Looking at the general crying like a child, Zhu Youjian was filled with mixed emotions.

He knew that Mao Wenlong's tears contained so much, so he didn't offer any words of comfort. Instead, he reached out and tightly grasped Mao Wenlong's calloused and scarred hands.

Those were the hands of a warrior, rough, yet full of power.

Their eyes met in the air, and without saying another word, they both understood the meaning in each other's eyes.

"Report——"

Just then, a hurried announcement came from outside the hall.

A member of the Imperial Guard strode in, knelt on one knee, and said in a booming voice, "Your Majesty, General Qin Liangyu, commander of the White-Spear Army, requests an audience!"

Qin Liangyu?!

Upon hearing this, Mao Wenlong was startled once again.

He had long heard of the female general's illustrious reputation, but he didn't know why the emperor would transfer her to the Liaodong front at this time.

Zhu Youjian smiled slightly, as if he had everything under control.

"Xuan!"

Before long, a female general dressed in silver armor, with a composed demeanor, walked proudly into the hall under the gaze of everyone. Although she was a woman, she possessed a steady and imposing aura like a mountain, and her heroic spirit between her brows was formidable, making her someone not to be underestimated.

"This humble general, Qin Liangyu, pays her respects to Your Majesty!"

"Qin Qing, you may dispense with the formalities." Zhu Youjian raised his hand to indicate that he had come at the right time. I was just discussing with General Mao a strategy to defeat the enemy.

Qin Liangyu stood up, glanced at the map, and then nodded slightly to Mao Wenlong as a greeting.

However, what truly shocked Mao Wenlong was not Qin Liangyu's arrival, but the emperor's next words.

Zhu Youjian's command pole slowly moved from Pi Island toward the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, finally landing on that crucial port... Lushun.

"Minister Mao, what you just heard is only the first part of your mission—to act as the knife, harassing them from behind and keeping them constantly on their toes," the Emperor's voice was steady and powerful. "And your second mission is to act as the key!"

"The key?" Mao Wenlong was slightly taken aback.

"Exactly, the key to the key!" Zhu Youjian's gaze sharpened. "I want you to strengthen the defenses of Lushun before the general offensive begins, and to sweep away all Jurchen spies and cavalry in the surrounding area. Once the great battle begins, you must ensure that Lushun Port, the key to opening the Liaonan war, is firmly in the hands of our Great Ming, becoming an absolutely safe bridgehead that can swallow up thousands of troops at any time!"

Lushun!

Mao Wenlong suddenly understood. He instantly realized the emperor's intention. Although Lushun was under the jurisdiction of Dongjiang Town, it was isolated in southern Liaoning and its defenses were relatively weak. It was mainly used as an outpost for harassment and intelligence gathering.

Now, the emperor wants to upgrade this outpost directly into the strategic hub of this war!
But before he could ponder the deeper meaning behind it, he heard about a plan that stirred his emotions even more.

Zhu Youjian turned his gaze to Qin Liangyu and said in a deep voice, "Qin Qingjia, besides your White-Spear Army, you are also accompanied north by a gift I have prepared for you: elite warships drawn from the naval forces of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Dengzhou-Laizhou!"

"These warships have only one mission!" The Emperor's voice was resolute. "They are to carry your most elite White-Spear Soldiers, along with the subsequent Beijing garrison troops, directly to Lushun after the war begins! General Mao is responsible for the absolute security of the port, while you are responsible for using it as a base after landing, like a red-hot branding iron, to brand it deep into the flesh and blood of the Jurchens!"

"I will open a second frontal battlefield in this Liaonan region, behind the Jurchens!"

Mao Wenlong was slightly surprised!
Sun Chengzong and Qin Liangyu, who were beside him, also had solemn and excited expressions on their faces. But unlike Mao Wenlong’s shock, their eyes showed more relief and anticipation as they had already known the whole situation and finally saw the last piece of the puzzle being placed in place.

Clearly, the emperor had already discussed and deduced this groundbreaking plan with the two of them on numerous occasions.

Today, in front of Mao Wenlong, Zhu Youjian finally revealed this vast war plan, hidden beneath the surface of the water, to the world for the first time in its entirety!
One land and one sea, two main attacks overwhelmed the front!

From the east and west flanks, launch a flanking attack to harass and sever their limbs!
Sea power and land power, northern army and southern army, were perfectly combined by the emperor with a grand strategic vision that transcended the times!
Mao Wenlong originally thought this was just a decisive battle involving the entire nation's strength, but now he suddenly realized that this was no longer a simple military operation. It was a massive pressure that had been placed on the chessboard of Liaodong, weighing down the fate, resources, and even the will of the entire Ming Dynasty!
The main force of Shanhaiguan, Dongjiang Town, Southern Mongolia, White-Clad Soldiers, and the naval forces of the three regions... This was almost the most elite and core force that the emperor could mobilize!
(End of this chapter)