The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 204 A certain Goryeo (End)

Oppose sending troops?

Others did not expect him to be so direct. Feng Sheng and others frowned, showing displeasure.

When is it the turn of a young boy like you to comment on major military and national affairs?

The key point is, what a great military achievement it is to attack Liaodong. If you say you don’t want to fight, you won’t fight?

You are preventing us from making meritorious deeds.

But before the emperor, it was not their turn to object.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not surprised by the answer and asked: "Oh, tell me the reason."

Chen Jingke looked at the map on the table and found where Liaodong and Gaoli were.

I drew a big circle with my hand and enclosed both of them:

"Liaodong and Goryeo are one, and Ming Dynasty will either not fight them, or they will fight them both together."

Everyone was shocked. Unexpectedly, he was not opposed to the attack on Liaodong, but felt that the court's plan was not big enough.

Xu Da and others quickly stretched their heads to take a look, and the more they looked, the more they felt that this made sense.

Lan Yu said without thinking, "Yeah, why didn't we think of Gao Li? Chen Bandu has a higher vision."

Feng Sheng was not so happy, he frowned slightly and said:

"Goryeo is not a small country and it is not easy to fight."

Xu Da also agreed with him and said:

"Goryeo is a big country that has been around for hundreds of years, with a population of about 2.5 million."

"The standing army consists of one hundred thousand men, of whom there are about fifteen thousand cavalry."

"If we encounter a foreign enemy, we can mobilize more than half a million people."

"It's very difficult to destroy them."

"If we show hostility and force them to completely surrender to Beiyuan, I'm afraid things will be in trouble."

Most others also disagreed with this policy.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also surprised by Chen Jingke's boldness, and he was actually ready to reach out to Gaoli.

In fact, he had the same idea as Xu Da and others, which was too unrealistic.

However, out of trust in Chen Jingke, he did not rush, but asked:

"You have heard what the gentlemen said, but what do you have to say?"

Chen Jingke nodded and said, "Don't be impatient, please listen to me carefully."

"We will follow the example of Duke Xian of Jin and attack Guo with a false way."

"First appease Goryeo, wait until the Beiyuan defender Naha is defeated, and then use the army to cover up Goryeo while he is unprepared."

Everyone is still not optimistic about it. Although the strategy is good, the people on the Korean side are not dead.

The Ming Dynasty was at war with the Northern Yuan Dynasty in Liaodong. How could they not take precautions?

The Ming army first fought fiercely with Beiyuan. By then, the division's veterans were tired. How could they fight against the Korean defenders who were waiting for work?

Chen Jingke knew that he could not convince them with just one strategy. His real trump card lay behind.

"I have been learning about the situation in Korea recently..."

"Although they are very powerful on the surface, they are full of hidden dangers internally."

"Although the former King of Goryeo was supported by the Northern Yuan Dynasty, he had no good impression of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Instead, he admired the culture of the Central Plains."

"As soon as the Ming Dynasty was established, they took the lead in performing Hajj."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but nod. Wang Zhuan, the king of Goryeo, was indeed respectful to Ming Dynasty.

It's a pity that he was killed by a traitor.

Although the current King of Goryeo is Wang Zhuan's son, he is close to Beiyuan, which is very abominable.

Last year, he even asked the Ming Dynasty to give Wang Zhuan a posthumous title with a shy face.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang felt disgusted, in order to appease Goryeo, Wang Zhuan did get close to Ming Dynasty.

In the end, he pinched his nose and gave him the posthumous title of King Gongmin.

Chen Jingke continued: "Although King Gongmin was killed, he left behind a large number of ministers who were devoted to the Ming Dynasty."

"Especially Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was the knowledge of Goryeo's governance."

"Affected by this theory, most of the literati in the country have their hearts set on the Ming Dynasty."

"Although the current King of Goryeo is close to Buk Yuan, he is unable to influence people's hearts and has even caused dissatisfaction among civil and military officials in the country."

"The reason why he can still sit firmly as the leader of the country now is because of Beiyuan's support."

"If we defeat Bei Yuan and recapture Liaodong, we will cut off the connection between Goryeo and Bei Yuan."

"I'm afraid it won't be long before Goryeo will change his surname."

Everyone looked surprised, there was such a thing?

Xu Da's face also became serious: "Chen Bandu, is what you said true?"

Zhu Yuanzhang replied on his behalf: "Really, the information he saw was all taken from me."

No one had any doubts, and they all looked thoughtful.

If Goryeo is really in this situation, maybe there will be a chance to defeat it in one fell swoop.

Chen Jingke shook his head secretly. Although these generals were very capable in fighting, they lacked the vision of an 'eagle'.

What is the eagle's vision?

The eagle hovers high in the sky, looking down at the entire land, searching for all prey within its field of vision.

To put it bluntly, it means standing higher and seeing further.

Another meaning is that the eagle is a hunter and everything within its field of vision is prey.

Zhu Yuanzhang, including his generals, all lacked the vision of an eagle.

They had never thought about taking action against Goryeo, and they didn't bother to understand the situation there.

Even if Gao Li really showed a flaw, he still wouldn't be able to catch it.

"Ahem." He coughed dryly, attracting everyone's attention, and he continued:

"In the country of Goryeo, apart from the King of Goryeo, the most powerful person is a minister named Li Chenggui."

"This person reminds me of an ancient man from hundreds of years ago, Yeon Gaesumun."

Yeon Gaesumun, a powerful official of Goguryeo.

Later, he killed Gao Jianwu, King of Rongliu, and took over the power.

Li Shimin's reason for conquering Goguryeo was to avenge Gao Jianwu and kill the traitor Yeon Gaesumun.

Of course, this is only an apparent reason, and everyone actually understands it.

But it is a pity that Li Shimin was blocked by Anshi City.

It was not until the Li rule period that Goguryeo was destroyed.

Comparing Li Chenggui to Chengyuan Gaesumun is a high compliment.

But it also points out the danger of this person.

Everyone naturally knows Li Chenggui. Even those who are not familiar with him have heard of his name.

After all, he can be said to be Goryeo's contemporary God of War, with a very famous reputation.

This man was both civil and military, and had great military exploits.

The key is that he holds both military and financial power.

No one had warned them before, so they hadn't felt it yet.

Only when Chen Jingke mentioned it did they realize the problem.

If the King of Korea is truly unpopular, who is most likely to replace him?

Li Chenggui.

So can Daming take advantage of this opportunity and do something?

They are all old foxes, and they immediately thought of many ideas for alienation.

Chen Jingke paused for a moment, giving everyone time to react, and then said:

"This person's political attitude is ambiguous. To put it more bluntly, he is waiting for the victory between Ming Dynasty and Bei Yuan Dynasty."

"If Beiyuan can defend Liaodong, he will continue to be loyal to the King of Korea."

"If the Ming Dynasty retakes Liaodong and cuts off the connection between Goryeo and the Northern Yuan Dynasty, he will most likely launch a coup."

"When the time comes, he will be able to win the hearts of the people by complying with the wishes of the domestic bureaucracy and being loyal to the Ming Dynasty."

"With Li Chenggui's ability, if he really becomes the King of Goryeo, I'm afraid the Ming Dynasty will never have a chance to win this place."

"At that time, the court can only canonize him as king and accept his allegiance."

"That's why I said that now is the only chance for Ming Dynasty to win Goryeo."

"Either take Liaodong and Korea together, or don't take action for the time being."

"But attacking Goryeo is different from attacking Liaodong. If His Majesty intends to take over this place, he needs to consider the long term."

Lan Yu patted her thigh and was the first to jump up and said:

"Your Majesty, please attack Goryeo."

Although the others didn't say anything, they all became excited.

After talking about this, their thoughts naturally changed.     If there are no internal problems in Goryeo, it will indeed be difficult to fight.

But now that the other party is internally uneasy, it would be foolish not to seize such an opportunity.

The key is, this is a war to destroy the country.

What a great military achievement.

How many people will have the word "founding of the country" added before their titles.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not express his position directly, but looked at Xu Da:

"Tiande, what do you think?"

Xu Da stared at the map for a long time, nodded slowly and said: "It is indeed necessary to consider the long term."

The implication is to support the planning of Goryeo.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked other people for their opinions, and everyone basically had the same idea.

If you plan something, it will be the best.

Anyway, the initiative is in Ming's hands. Whether to fight or not will be decided when the time comes.

Zhu Yuanzhang then said: "Okay, let's take a long-term view."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was overjoyed. After all, another great achievement was in front of them.

Then someone who reacted quickly looked at Chen Jingke in shock.

He actually changed everyone's minds.

His plan for Goryeo was so ambitious that it surpassed everyone here.

And his understanding of the situation is actually so clear.

Being able to analyze the internal instability of Goryeo from intelligence is already very impressive.

He could actually target Li Chenggui.

Is this kind of ability really something a sixteen-year-old boy can possess?

Judging from His Majesty's attitude, this probably isn't the first time this has happened.

At this time, everyone couldn't help but have an idea in their minds.

No wonder His Majesty wants to marry a princess.

No wonder Wei Guogong valued him so much. He used to think that he was investing in the future.

Now it seems that he is aware of his talent.

How cunning, he got the upper hand again.

But it's not too late now, and we must have a good relationship with the Chen family in the future.

Sapphire is the happiest.

Chen Jingke, my grandson’s companion, is a natural ally of my Lan family.

He is also my great benefactor, Lan Yu.

To be so talented is really a blessing given to me by the blue family.

If it weren't for the inappropriate seniority, he would have wanted his son to recognize him as a godfather.

Looking at the shocked people, Zhu Yuanzhang felt quite comfortable.

You all have to experience how we were shocked at the beginning.

At this time, Xu Da asked: "Chen Bandu, you know Goryeo best, do you have any plans?"

Zhu Yuanzhang also asked: "Since you proposed planning for Goryeo, you must have an idea. You can tell us and discuss it together."

Chen Jingke nodded and said, "It's just a humble opinion, but I hope everyone won't laugh when I say it."

"First of all, fighting internal divisions in Goryeo is more important than military affairs."

"I have said before that under the influence of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, the civil servants of Goryeo were very interested in the Ming Dynasty."

"Especially "A Brief History of China", it is said that every scholar in Korea has a copy, and they all claim to be descendants of China."

"We can send people over to promote the idea of ​​one family as one."

"If we can send some great scholars there in the name of exchange, the effect will be better."

"During this process, we will also send more spies to learn more about the situation in Goryeo."

Everyone nodded in agreement, this trick was indeed very effective.

It can effectively disintegrate the resistance of Goryeo civil servants and lay the foundation for subsequent governance.

Xu Da nodded and said: "This idea is very good. If it goes well, it can defeat an army of 100,000 people."

"But for the sake of confidentiality, we can't tell anyone about the plot of Goryeo."

"Even those who were sent as envoys to Korea could not tell them the truth."

"They were sent there to exchange knowledge and spread orthodox Chinese culture to Goryeo."

"It's also to persuade the King of Korea not to get close to Bei Yuan..."

The reason is also very simple, there is no airtight wall in the world.

If you persuade others to surrender as soon as you go, all fools will know your plan.

Sending people there was purely for the purpose of exchanging knowledge.

In fact, these are enough.

In view of the longing of Goryeo scholars for the Central Plains, exchanging knowledge is the best way to lobby.

There will definitely be a large number of leading parties appearing by then.

Chen Jingke continued: "There has been a legend circulating in Goryeo that the current King of Goryeo is not the son of King Gongmin, but the son of his favorite minister Xin Min."

"Xin Min had an affair with Prajna, the maid of King Gongmin, and Prajna was pregnant."

"King Gongmin had no children, so he favored Prajna and claimed that the child was his."

Everyone looked surprised, is there such a thing?

That King Gongmin is really... indescribable.

Chen Jingke said: "However, most of these rumors are untrue. Xin Min is a pure person and he would not do such a thing."

"It doesn't matter if it's true or false, for us, this is an opportunity we can take advantage of."

Everyone naturally knew what he meant.

If a king's bloodline is suspected, whether it is true or false, his legitimacy will be shaken to a certain extent.

It would be better if the leader of the country was strong or supported by his ministers.

But the current King of Goryeo is neither powerful nor popular.

This doubt was too fatal to him.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You can let people publicize this matter in Goryeo. It is best to connect the death of King Gongmin with him."

"Then we can legitimately attack Goryeo in the name of revenge for King Gongmin."

Everyone thinks the same way.

After all, Goryeo was also a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. Destroying it without a suitable reason would cause panic in other vassal states.

Publicizing this matter would not only shake the morale of Goryeo's military, but also provide Ming with a reason to send troops.

Chen Jingke continued: "Then there is the military aspect."

"If you want to plan for Goryeo, you can't rely solely on the army. You must advance both land and water."

"When we attack Liaodong, as long as the King of Korea and Li Chenggui don't act stupidly, they will definitely deploy heavy troops on the front line."

"Even Li Chenggui himself will go to the front line to sit in command."

"If we attack rashly, I'm afraid we will encounter the same situation as Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty."

"But Goryeo only has a standing army of 100,000. Putting the main force on the front line will inevitably lead to an empty rear."

"Goryeo is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and our navy can log in from any place."

"If we have enough ships, we can directly use ships to transport the Liaodong army to the rear of Goryeo."

Feng Sheng raised a question: "When we attack Liaodong, will Goryeo expand its army?"

Xu Da shook his head and said: "No, if it hadn't been for Jing Ke's suggestion, we ourselves wouldn't have known that we wanted to fight Korea, and the Koreans would have never thought of it."

"They deployed troops on the front line just out of caution and did not really suspect that we would use troops against them."

"So it is unlikely to expand the army in advance."

"Even if the reserve army is temporarily recruited, the number will not be too large."

After all, recruiting the army is no joke. Even if it is a temporary recruitment of a reserve army, it will have a huge impact on the country.

If it was not certain that Ming Dynasty would attack them, Goryeo would not expand its army on a large scale.

Chen Jingke finally concluded: "So, if you want to plan for Goryeo, it is not appropriate to attack Liaodong this year."

"It took a year to drive a wedge between Goryeo and the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, the Ming Dynasty repaired its weapons and built warships to train its navy."

"The population and land inventory will be completed in one year, and Ming Dynasty can devote all its efforts to conquer Liaodong and Goryeo in one fell swoop."

(End of this chapter)