King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 590: Celebrating New Year in Seoul
On the first day of October, the temperature in Liaodong is already very low, so you need to wear cotton clothes to resist the cold.

On a mountain peak on the north bank of the Yalu River, accompanied by Cai Chuansheng, the commander of the Yanshan capital, and several staff officers, Zhu Jinghong sat on horseback and observed the situation on the other side with a telescope.

Because of the special terrain of the Liaodong border, the attack on North Korea must be along the coastal plain. Other routes are difficult for infantry to traverse and are too far.

North Korea also expected this, so it stationed a large number of troops in Yongcheon, Uiju and Shuozhou along Ping'an Road. It was not easy to attack them across the Yalu River.

However, if we wait another month or two, when the Yalu River is completely frozen, it will not be difficult to cross the river.

This is good news for Zhu Jinghong, but unfortunately he has received bad news recently, that is, Japan has deployed troops to reinforce North Korea.

Of course, the Japanese would not go directly to the west bank, but would land nearby on the east coast of Korea and be deployed in the direction of Hamgyong Road to resist the Jurchen tribes that had already rushed over.

Compared with the Ming army, the Jurchen tribes were really enthusiastic about punishing North Korea, as Zhu Jinghong expected.

They were all cavalry, and their maneuverability was particularly good. They easily found weak points in defense and broke into various prefectures and counties in North Korea.

These Jurchen cavalry attacked in groups according to tribes, ranging from thousands to one or two hundred, plundering everywhere and making it impossible for North Korea to defend itself.

"Blast out!"

The opposite is also true. North Korea also knows the deployment of the Ming army, so a sneak attack is very difficult.

Compared with Anzhou, Longchuan, Yizhou and Shuozhou have sufficient defenders, so it is basically impossible to capture them in a short time.

"The arrangements will be completed tonight, and we will launch the attack early tomorrow morning!" Zhu Jinghong ordered.

However, Zhu Jinghong was not happy and asked instead: "The river is frozen. We can cross the river, but they can also choose to withdraw into the city and guard us behind closed doors. What should we do?"

Although it is a feint, it must be done as if it were the real thing. After all, the feint may be successful.

Otherwise, it would become a war of attrition. He, Zhu Jinghong, would not be able to explain to the emperor, and at the same time he would lose his own reputation. It can be said that he lost both his wife and his troops.

Nowadays, North Korean troops are stationed not far from the coast, and they can basically see the situation on the other side.

Therefore, Zhu Jinghong still had to rely on a surprise attack to survive if Anzhou was taken down.

He needs to read the latest intelligence sent back, deal with temporary reports from various ministries, adjust military deployment in a timely manner according to the situation on the other side, and sign and issue the incoming grain, grass and ordnance...

Zhu Jinghong was very familiar with the name Li Hui. After all, this guy often gave him money.

"They set off the day before yesterday, and they should arrive in five or six days!" Zhu Jinghong said in a deep voice.

What's more, the temperature will be lower in the future, which will be even more unfavorable for the Ming army.

Even if he wanted to negotiate, he would have to wait until the imperial army won a victory before he could reach a satisfactory result.

If this kid can be used to achieve the goal of disintegrating the enemy from within, it will be a huge gain for Zhu Jinghong.

This time, troops were mobilized from the three capitals. A total of nearly 40,000 soldiers were used. Currently, 30,000 troops are deployed within 50 miles of Jiulian City.

Of course, Zhu Jinghong didn't choose to meet because of the money, but because he knew that this guy was a restless person.

Don't underestimate these 30,000 troops. The total standing army of North Korea is only 70,000 or 80,000. Among them, there are still a large number of people staying in Seoul, and only 50,000 or 60,000 can actually be used.

"Yes!"

"North Korean envoy?" Zhu Jinghong was surprised.

"Your Majesty, if the river freezes in a few days, even if the surprise attack fails... our army can cross the river and attack. Our army will be invincible in this battle!" Cai Chuansheng said with a relaxed expression.

"Let's wait until the Haizhou Guards arrive to start the fight together. The time will be... tomorrow at dawn!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Hai did not leave immediately, but reminded: "Your Majesty... the person coming is Mingchuan Lord Li Hui!"

After a busy morning, when Zhu Jinghong was preparing to have lunch, Yu Hai came to report that the North Korean envoy wanted to see him.

The so-called "action" refers to a feint attack, which is also planned.

Their troops deployed near Uiju were no more than 30,000, and the number of young men recruited was no more than 50,000. Although they had superior strength, their weapons were very backward. Therefore, the 30,000 Ming army led by Zhu Jinghong had already been brought to the North Korean army on the other side. great pressure.

So he ordered: "Bring him in!"

"Send someone to tell Hu Yicheng again that if he fails to reach the scheduled location at sunset today, I will chop off his head!"

"Yes!"

The problems that had troubled the Central Plains dynasty for thousands of years now all came to North Korea, forcing Li Xuan and his son to turn to the Japanese for help.

The situation has developed to this point, and the military confrontation is irreversible, so Zhu Jinghong doesn't want to see the visitor.

"Is there any news from Haizhou Guard?"

"It's just over a hundred miles and I haven't arrived yet after walking for three days..."

Cai Chuansheng replied: "I thought... we can take action here!"

The supply line has been stretched extremely long due to the laborious expedition on our side, and it is very unwise to force others to do it.

Back in Jiulian City, Zhu Jinghong didn't get any rest either.

On the way back to Jiulian City, Zhu Jinghong and Cai Chuansheng chatted a lot, mainly about improving tomorrow's attack plan.

A river beach not far from Jiulian City is Zhu Jinghong's planned attack location. The terrain here is flat and the river is only more than a hundred meters wide, making it an excellent location to launch an attack.

"I will make arrangements when I get back!"

Hearing Zhu Jinghong's question, the staff officer in charge of information and compliance quickly replied: "Reporting to the prince, they arrived at Xin Dien Fort at noon yesterday, and there is no news today!"

After observing the situation, Zhu Jinghong rode his horse and walked towards the bottom of the mountain. Cai Chuansheng followed closely. Several staff officers stayed two or three feet back, and the accompanying guards were further away.

"Yes!"

After a while, Li Hui was brought into the living room. At this time, Zhu Jinghong was leaning on a chair with his legs crossed and reading a book.

That's right, Zhu Jinghong was reading a book, looking very leisurely, which was in sharp contrast to the busy military officials outside.

The purpose of this was to show Li Hui or North Korea that killing them for rebellion would mean nothing to the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, Li Hui was indeed shocked, which made his inner thoughts more determined.

Going against the Ming Dynasty is a dead end. I am not betraying my father and brother, but I want to save the Li family's foundation, so I have to resort to this method... Li Hui convinced himself.

"Foreign Minister Li Hui, please pay homage to Your Highness!"

Zhu Jinghong was still reading, so Li Hui could only continue to kneel and wait for several minutes.

Li Hui's knees were in extreme pain while he remained in one position. Just when he was about to lose his hold and speak again, Zhu Jinghong's voice rang out in the room.

"According to what they want, they want me to chop you down as a sacrificial flag!" Zhu Jinghong's light voice really frightened Li Hui, because Zhu Jinghong could really chop him down.

"Your Highness, my father and brother are unfaithful, unfilial, unkind and unjust... I am loyal to the court wholeheartedly, and I hope Your Highness will learn from it!" In order to save his life, Li Hui made his attitude clear immediately.

Li Hui thought that Zhu Jinghong would approve of his attitude, but the latter sneered and asked: "Loyal to the court? You can betray even your closest relatives, but I still believe that you are loyal to the court!"

"Come here, capture this thief, tomorrow morning..."

It seemed that the Naihe Bridge flashed in front of his eyes. Li Hui was so frightened that he lost his composure on the spot. He rolled and crawled forward and said at the same time: "Your Highness, Your Highness... I hope Your Highness will understand that I am really here to surrender!"

"My father and brother are rebellious and will be destroyed by the imperial court. Although I am my father's son, I am even more of your Majesty's minister!"

"How could I only think about my flesh-and-blood relationship and forget my great filial piety and loyalty to His Majesty!"

These words were certainly high-sounding. When Li Hui finished speaking the last word, the two guards who entered the room had already captured him. As long as Zhu Jinghong stopped expressing his stance, they would take Li Hui away.

After moving his fingers slightly to signal the guards to move away, Zhu Jinghong turned a page of the book and asked: "How do you plan to be loyal to His Majesty?"

"Nowadays, all the people in North Korea are afraid of the military might of my father and brother, so they have no choice but to surrender... But the virtuous people under them are all eager for the king's army to go south, to correct the chaos and punish the disobedient!"

"I came here this time to report to His Highness that I have contacted more than a dozen virtuous people and plan to install internal agents in Longchuan Yizhou and other places. When the king's master moves in, we will start an attack together and win the city together with the internal and external agents!"

After hearing this last sentence, Zhu Jinghong finally became interested, so he asked: "How many people can you gather?"

Ping'an Road was about to suffer a military disaster, and most of the local scholar-bureaucrats were unhappy. Some of them were extremely willing to rise up and help the court, which was a very reasonable phenomenon.

If Pyeongan-do was successfully conquered, not only would they be able to avoid war, but they would also be able to use this opportunity to show their merit to the Ming Dynasty and help their family's status in Korea rise to a higher level.

These things are not their beautiful fantasies, but real cases that happened decades ago when Shizu was trying to bring peace to the world.

Those who welcomed Master Wang to North Korea back then were some of the top families in North Korea today, including the Chen family who led the government, Chen Taimin.

"There are already more than a dozen families willing to start a rebellion. If you give them more than ten days, it won't be a problem to gather six to seven hundred people!"

The key is not to gather people, but how to get them into the city.

Nowadays, several cities such as Longchuan have been completely implemented under military control. They are all stationed and defended by soldiers. Ordinary young people cannot get close to the city defenses.

"How many people can you gather to Yizhou within ten days?"

Yizhou is on the other side of Jiulian City and is also the main attack direction of Zhu Jinghong's army. Longchuan and Shuozhou are in charge of Qi Yanze and Sun Maozhi.

"Three hundred people won't be a problem!" Li Hui gritted his teeth and said.

"Okay... just three hundred people. Follow my instructions in ten days and attack together to capture Yizhou. You will be considered a great achievement then!" Zhu Jinghong put down the book and said.

"Yes...I am willing to go through fire and water for His Highness, no matter what!"

Li Hui just said that he would be loyal to the emperor, and now he expressed his loyalty to Zhu Jinghong because he understood that the county magistrate was not as good as the current manager.

Frankly speaking, if Li Hui wants to sit on the throne, Zhu Jinghong's opinion is crucial, because he knows how good the father-son relationship between the emperor and Zhu Jinghong is.

Only as an outsider can we see this clearly, although Li Hui also found it incredible.

"There is no need for you to go through fire and water, just get things done!" Zhu Jinghong said calmly.

"Yes!"

In fact, Li Hui wanted to talk about the throne, but considering that it seemed too anxious, he suppressed his words.

"You came here this time, did you come on your own, or did you follow your father's order?"

"I'm reporting back to Your Highness on my father's orders. He wants me to delay the situation!" Li Hui directly let the matter slip.

Seeing how happy he was, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but smile, and then he said: "Your father doesn't even see you through, yet he dares to rebel... He is so reckless!"

"He is unfaithful and unfilial. We are incompatible with each other and we are irreconcilable!" Li Hui still expressed his determination.

But in Zhu Jinghong's eyes, he only saw Li Hui's desire for power. As for the so-called loyalty and filial piety, he didn't see it at all.

The two secretly spied for a while. In order to complete the trick and make Li Hui more trusted by his father, Zhu Jinghong ordered the guards to whip him more than ten times.

In the end, Li Hui was carried out of Jiulian City, which made the followers who saw him for the first time think that something unexpected had happened to him.

"Hurry...send me across the river quickly to find a doctor for treatment!" Li Hui said tremblingly.

The pain in his skin and flesh just now was because there was really no moisture in his body, so he was really uncomfortable.

When Li Hui was taken away by his entourage, Zhu Jinghong was already standing in front of the sand table in the war room, watching the staff adjust the small flags on it.

Beside him was Cai Chuansheng, who was reporting the situation. The preparations before the attack had been distributed to all the participating departments, and they would prepare everything at night.

After Cai Chuansheng finished speaking, Zhu Jinghong told the story about Li Hui, which made the former very happy.

Before sunset, the Haizhou Guard finally arrived at the predetermined position, and its commander Hu Yicheng managed to save his head.

As the sun set, Hu Yichen himself entered Jiulian City to participate in the last military meeting before tomorrow's attack.

In a garden in the north of Jiulian City, more than a dozen commanders, plus a few chief ministers and colleagues, were already seated according to rank. Hu Yicheng came late and had to sit further back.

"Fortunately, it didn't delay things!" Hu Yicheng secretly rejoiced. The temperature was already relatively low at this time, but he was still wiping sweat.

"What's going on? It took so long!"

The person who asked the question was sitting in front of Hu Yicheng. He was the commander of the capital of Liaodong and could be regarded as Hu Yicheng's immediate superior.

"Sir, the bridge collapsed on the road and a temporary one was built, so time was wasted!" Hu Yicheng explained.

"Now is no different than before. Your Highness King Xiang is very strict in managing the army. You must not make any mistakes again, otherwise no one can save you!"

"I understand the humble position!"

While the two of them were talking, Zhu Jinghong and Cai Chuansheng came out. Everyone present stood up and saluted, while Zhu Jinghong asked everyone to sit down very easily.

Then the proceedings officially began. First, each department reported on their preparations, and then asked them to raise questions. Zhu Jinghong listened to them one by one and responded on the spot.

After all the procedures were completed, Zhu Jinghong finally began to make a concluding speech.

"Everyone, as far as I know, Li Shuo and his son have gone against the grain, and many Korean people and scholars are dissatisfied..."

"The scholars and the people all hope that the king will come to the court to put an end to the chaos. Their hearts are against our Ming Dynasty..."

"In this way, I have overestimated North Korea in the past. It seems that counterinsurgency this time may not be difficult!"

Having said this, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "Maybe if we work hard... we can take our sons and daughters to Seoul for the New Year!"

(End of this chapter)