King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 600 Changes in Seoul
The fighting on the city walls was very brutal, especially for the Japanese, because their steel swords were no match for their muskets and gunpowder.

Yes, the so-called hand-to-hand combat is not pure, because the Ming army soldiers blocking the front are only responsible for defense, and the attack is handled by the reinforcements that follow up on the wall.

The cooperation during this period has been rehearsed countless times before the official siege, and now there are basically no major mistakes in actual operation.

As the Ming army occupied more and more city walls, the Korean army collapsed and fled in all directions. Only the Japanese were left holding on to the city walls.

These Japanese are said to be brave and not afraid of death. With the blessing of the so-called samurai swords, they are using their lives to resist the pace of the Ming army.

Next to Zhu Jinghong, Sun Maozhi, commander of the Liaodong capital, said: "Your Majesty, these Japanese... I'm afraid they are the elites of the Okamoto family. They are bleeding to cause trouble for us!"

"Elite? I'm fighting the elite!" Zhu Jinghong sneered.

"Tell the Jurchen cavalry that the Koreans will not be counted as military merits after the city is broken. Let them all kill the Japanese for me!"

"These bastards didn't treat me well, but they came to North Korea to stir up trouble. I feel uncomfortable if I don't kill them!"

"Yes!" The staff officer on the side responded quickly.

The guards at the scene laughed. Zhu Jinghong turned around with a gloomy face. The guards immediately put away their smiles and stood there solemnly.

"I said I would live and die with the city, so I didn't run away..."

The Japanese usually prey on the common people, and each one of them is so crazy that the Korean soldiers already hate them.

Finally, his carriage stopped outside the county government office, which was also the headquarters of the Changyuan garrison. It had been less than half a month since its establishment.

Although he waved his arms to the army, Zhu Jinghong still could not absolutely guarantee that the military merits he issued would not be withheld. He sent guards to reward the more important achievements.

"Brothers from North Korea, His Royal Highness King Xiang has an order. As long as you take the heads of Japanese people, you will be exempted from crime. Take two grains and one stone!"

To put it simply, the Japanese fleet is mainly transport ships, and there are only about twenty warships, but their hulls are older than those of the Liaodong Navy.

Therefore, he is also determined to capture the Japanese fleet.

The Japanese were also very tired, so they also rested, and their generals were also discussing how to break out.

Regarding the situation of the Japanese fleet, through the efforts of all parties over the past month, Zhu Jinghong has basically figured out the configuration of its combat power.

The Japanese fleet was waiting on the shore south of Changyuan. Zhu Jinghong guessed that it was to meet the Japanese in the city.

Among them, although there were only more than 2,000 Jurchen cavalry, they played a great diversionary role, causing the Japanese retreat to be repeatedly frustrated.

With his back to Li Xuan, Zhu Jinghong casually checked the official documents and said at the same time: "Let him speak!"

However, their organization was still good, and even if they were defeated, they still generally maintained order, so they were able to fight and retreat from Changyuan City, and then retreat toward the coast dozens of miles away.

The person who shouted the message was a North Korean general. This man had surrendered when Uiju was conquered, but now he is living a more prosperous life.

Now that these people have also been defeated, at this time, beating the drowned dog can be exchanged for benefits. Of course the fleeing North Korean soldiers are willing.

Zhu Jinghong straightened his hat, glanced at the county government plaque on his forehead, and said: "The sergeant who captures Li Xuan alive will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver and promoted to two ranks... You send someone to do it!"

So Okamoto Yingjie quickly formulated a plan and set the main attack direction in the west, where the Jurchen cavalry was responsible for defense, blocking their way to the coast.

"The seventeen usable warships have been personally led by General Zhao and are approaching the Japanese fleet!"

Zhang Lin agreed, and then ordered his guards, who immediately accepted the order and left, and then Zhu Jinghong walked to the county government office.

Compared with the county government in the Ming Dynasty, the one in Changyuan was obviously much simpler, with only three courtyards inside and outside.

The leading general is named Okamoto Hideyoshi. He is the younger brother of the shogunate Okamoto Hidetoshi. He has a pivotal position in the family, so he was appointed as the commander of the "Expeditionary Force".

The target of his shouting at this moment was the fleeing North Korean army. These people were now in a state of panic. After hearing these words, they immediately had a clear goal.

About an hour later, as fresh troops from the Ming army joined in one after another, Japan's bushido spirit finally collapsed.

Yingjie Okamoto knew that his group was at the last moment. If they could not break out as soon as possible, they would be trapped and die here.

In the mountains and forests, if they want to evacuate all the more than 20,000 people, it is honestly impossible.

After ensuring absolute safety, Zhu Jinghong entered Changyuan City by car under the escort of his guards.

At this time, Li Xuan had been tied up by the guards, and he was kneeling in the county government hall with a dull expression. He was gagged to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide.

An hour later, they were blocked in a long and narrow valley, with the pursuing Ming army behind them and the Jurchen cavalry in front.

Walking into the hall, Zhu Jinghong came to the desk and looked at the map on it and some scattered official documents.

The Ming army was not in a hurry to attack. On the one hand, they also needed to rest and recuperate, and on the other hand, they needed to wait for artillery support.

"Master Thirteen, we were inside the county government office. That kid Li Xuan wanted to commit suicide, but in the end he didn't have the guts to do it... and he was captured alive by our people!"

Things that can be solved with cannons must not be solved with human lives. This is Zhu Jinghong's consistent concept.

As a result, the retreating Japanese army not only had to be pursued by the Ming army, but also defended against attacks by Jurchen cavalry and Korean soldiers.

Still with his back to Li Xuan, Zhu Jinghong asked: "Why don't you run?"

So after noticing this situation, he immediately ordered Zhao Chengwu to lead the main warship to sneak attack the hiding Japanese fleet.

"Yes!"

The war here is about to break out, but Changyuan City on the other side has been completely taken over and eliminated by the Ming army.

"By the way...how are the navy's preparations?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

Then the cloth ball in Li Xuan's mouth was removed, but his heart was as dry as a well, so he didn't say a word at this time.

Speaking of this, Li Xuan laughed and said: "I never thought that at the last moment, I would not have the courage to commit suicide... It shows that I didn't see myself clearly until the last moment!"

Zhu Jinghong would not laugh at Li Xuan, because this guy was very brave if he could not run away. Anyway, he thought that he would not do this. After all, it is better to die than to live.

"If I had known this, why did I do it in the first place!" Zhu Jinghong looked at Li Xuan and asked.

"I tried to persuade my father, but he insisted on doing this. As a son, I can only obey my father's orders, even if it is a dead end!"

Zhu Jinghong looked pitiful and said, "It's a pity that because of your selfish motives, you and your son have caused misery to the Korean people!"

Afterwards, Zhu Jinghong stopped chatting and waited for his orders to take Li Xuan down, and then listened to the latest battle report.

Zhu Jinghong was overjoyed when he learned that the Japanese were surrounded. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the war, he sent additional troops to assist in the war.

When the first batch of reinforcements arrived, the Ming army had already fought with the Japanese. As a result, some Japanese died and some fled, and more than 10,000 Japanese were trapped in the valley.

More than 3,000 people who escaped rushed towards the coast, while more than 10,000 people who were trapped met their end because the Ming army's artillery was delivered.

This time, the strategy took the initiative to return to the Ming army, so just after the artillery was lined up, Sun Maozhi ordered to enter the palace, and dozens of artillery shells were fired directly into the Japanese formation.

This was a one-sided massacre. The Japanese warriors were wailing and hiding helplessly, just like the Korean people who had been plundered by them before, and now they were retaliating with retaliation.

"We are willing to surrender!" Japanese general Hidetoshi Okamoto offered to surrender.

The Okamoto family is the strongest in Japan, but if the 30,000 people they supported this time are wiped out, the Okamoto family will be severely injured.

Among the vassals, there are many who have different intentions. If these people take the opportunity to launch a coup, it will be a big trouble for the Okamoto family.

Therefore, for the sake of the family's great cause, even if Okamoto Yingjie is unwilling to surrender, in order to preserve the family's strength, he can only go against his heart and choose to lead the army to surrender. Sun Maozhi received Zhu Jinghong's secret order to deal with the Japanese army. After a brief thought, he ordered someone to shout for the Japanese to put down their weapons and armor and walk out of the valley.

Just letting the Japanese out without any commitment or guarantee, Sun Maozhi's request seemed "excessive", this is the so-called unconditional surrender.

This made Okamoto Yingjie feel deeply humiliated. At the same time, he was also afraid that the Ming army would cross the river and demolish the bridge, so he hesitated for a while.

However, more and more Ming troops came to reinforce behind, causing the encirclement to become tighter, leaving Okamoto Yingjie with little time left.

"We surrender!" Okamoto Yingjie made a difficult decision.

It's a pity that his decision was a little late, because before he could send people to negotiate with the Ming army, a large amount of artillery fire had already bombarded him, and at the same time, firecrackers approached and started shooting.

There were too few places to hide people in the valley, and the most important thing was that more than 10,000 people were crowded. The power of artillery and gunfire in this narrow area was greatly amplified, and for a while, the Japanese suffered numerous casualties.

The bombardment ended about ten minutes later, leaving behind at least two thousand Japanese corpses and more than four to five thousand injured.

Many Japanese generals originally opposed surrender. After surviving under artillery fire, they finally became sober and calm.

"We are willing to surrender unconditionally!"

In front of Sun Maozhi, a Japanese officer spoke pure Chinese and expressed his only request.

"Okay..." Sun Maozhi smiled lightly.

Since it was an unconditional surrender, the Japanese soldiers put down their weapons and walked out of the valley one by one. Their original fierce look disappeared and was replaced by numbness and lifelessness.

Only those who had suffered carpet bombardment could achieve their military appearance.

Including lightly injured soldiers, there are more than 8,000 Japanese troops left, including Hideyoshi Okamoto.

Because he was a general in charge of the Japanese army, Okamoto Yingjie got the opportunity to meet Sun Maozhi, and he wanted to use this to negotiate some terms.

"His Royal Highness King Xiang has arranged your whereabouts, so you don't have to worry!"

Not getting the answer he wanted, Okamoto Yingjie was about to ask again, but Sun Maozhi said: "Let me tell you another news, your fleet has been severely damaged by our army, and if nothing else, the entire army should be annihilated!"

Zhao Chengwu was also eager to perform meritorious service, so when he got his first real combat mission, he worked hard to fight a good battle.

With careful deployment and careful planning, coupled with solid training in the past, and this battle was a strong attack on the weak, they won the victory without any surprise.

Without the fleet, the more than 3,000 people who escaped had only two options: freezing to death or surrendering.

Okamoto Yingjie's face became more and more ugly. After a few breaths of silence, he still asked: "I wonder how His Highness Prince Xiang will arrange for us?"

"You will know when the time comes. Don't worry... I will never kill you!" Sun Maozhi said with a smile.

Time passed quickly, and on the second day, the clean-up work of the Battle of Changyuan was finally over.

There were a total of 9,000 Japanese prisoners and 20,000 Korean prisoners. The rest either died in battle, froze or starved to death, and a very small number were lucky enough to escape.

As for the Ming army, more than 700 people were killed and more than 1,000 people were injured, including more than 300 people seriously injured.

"Your Highness, it's too much food for so many prisoners to eat and drink for one day, why don't we just..." Cai Chuansheng wiped his neck.

"I plan to let them build roads. In a land as big as Liaodong, there are only a few official roads. It is appropriate for them to build roads!"

"Every health post in Shenyang should have direct access to official channels. This will also be conducive to economic development!"

In addition to being conducive to economic development, it is also conducive to the mobilization of the Ming army and can enhance the court's control over surrounding areas.

At present, the land of Liaodong, especially the territory near the east, is basically undeveloped. Building roads in this primitive forest and harsh climate is no easier than digging potatoes in Siberia.

Zhu Jinghong has reported this matter to the emperor together with Chang Yuan's good news. According to his guess, the old man should agree. After all, these free supplies are not in vain.

"Pass my order to the entire army to rest for three days and march towards Seoul on the 15th of this month!"

"Yes!"

At this time, they were three hundred miles away from Seoul. If there were no obstacles in the way, it would take about five or six days to arrive at the normal marching speed.

Changyuan broke into the city on the tenth day of October, and the news reached Seoul the next day. Li Shuo was so angry that he opened the book on the spot.

With the situation changing like this, he not only became more wary of the Ming army, but also found it harder to trust the people around him. He was afraid that someone would defect and harm him, so he stepped up his guard against the palace.

At the same time, he issued a recruitment order, intending to recruit another 20,000 young men from the civilian population to assist the 10,000 troops left in Seoul to defend the city.

As a result, on the night of the 13th, a coup quietly took place. The soldiers of the Imperial Guard whom he trusted most, instead of protecting him, became the main participants in the coup.

The thing is very simple. The senior civil and military officials who stayed in Seoul all realized that Li Shuo was at the end of his rope, so they collectively chose to abandon the monarch, as did the palace guards.

Even if there are a few people who are die-hard loyalists, these people are controlled or executed immediately, and basically have no effect.

The final result was that King Li Shuo was placed under house arrest, and North Korean officials sent envoys to Changyuan to contact him. At the same time, they made preparations to welcome King Xiang.

At this time, Li Hui was still under house arrest, because in order to regain his father's trust, he kept showing his support for the rebellion.

By now, he was naturally regarded as a sin by the civil and military squads, and he was to be handed over to Zhu Jinghong as a sinner.

So now, at this critical moment to gain profits, Li Hui can only be confined to the mansion and watch the opportunity pass by.

At present, he has no merit, which is in sharp contrast with Li Jiong... This makes Li Hui very sad.

How to make King Xiang take him seriously? How to obtain the right to inherit the throne?
These two problems have become Li Hui's inner demons. Unable to solve them, he can only drink to relieve his worries.

"Husband, don't worry too much. Although you and I are stuck in this small place, we can't do anything!" Cui Xiuqing appeared behind Li Hui.

"what can we do?"

"First, my Cui family participated in this uprising and now have a close relationship with the generals of the Imperial Guard. This may be a help to my husband!"

"Secondly, my husband has been misunderstood by the court officials. The Cui family has been trying their best to explain it to me. I hope that the misunderstanding will be cleared up in the near future!"

"Third, I have ordered the Cui family to send people to Gyeongsang Province and go to Geoje to invite Prime Minister Chen back!"

All three are related to the Cui family. It can be seen that under the guidance of Cui Xiuqing, the Cui family has completely turned to Li Hui and plans to become a "conforming dragon".

The three points raised by Cui Xiuqing were all of great help to Li Hui, especially the last one, which was of great significance.

Although Chen Taimin was exiled, he was loyal to the emperor and denounced the faint king. His integrity surpassed everyone else, and no one from top to bottom dared to disapprove of him.

Now that the chaos has been settled, he will inevitably be reinstated. By then, he will still be the leader of the officials, and his confidence and strength will be far greater than before.

In other words, it would be of great benefit to Li Hui if he could get this support.

"Madam... I really don't know how to thank you!" Li Hui bowed solemnly to Cui Xiuqing.

"You and I, husband and wife, are of the same mind, why should we be like this!" Cui Xiuqing replied with a smile.

She enjoys this feeling of exercising authority, and she has understood the happiness of Emperor Zetian in history.

I can't be the royal concubine of Prince Xiang, but it's not a loss if I can become the princess of Joseon... Cui Xiuqing thought this way.

(End of this chapter)