In any case, the Japanese attack of up to 20,000 people was repelled, and the casualties caused to the Japanese army were at least thousands, and our own casualties were far lower than the Japanese army. For North Korea at this time, it was simply Like a shot in the arm.
The news of the "Great Victory in Pyongyang" was immediately sent out by the few cavalry in the city and spread to all parts of North Korea, even in the occupied areas.
Many places immediately fell into celebrations. After all, this was their first victory since the Japanese invaded Korea, and it had an exciting and miraculous effect.
And Li Huo, who had already fled north before the war started, couldn't help but be overjoyed after receiving the news.
He actually didn't have much hope in repelling the Japanese army. After all, the Japanese army had won many battles since landing, and the sense of oppression caused by them was too strong. Although the firearms sold by the Luzon Governor's Palace were sharp, the weapons that came back from the court were too strong. The military generals also showed great enthusiasm for the Japanese firearms.
Of course, he didn't know the difference between the Japanese matchlocks, his own muskets, and the artillery sold to them by Yan Zichong. He only knew that the Japanese firearms were equally powerful.
Therefore, for Li Huo, as long as he can cause certain casualties to the Japanese army and show that the North Korean army is also working hard, this is enough. He has actually been mentally prepared for the fall of Pyongyang and the loss of 30,000 soldiers.
Unexpectedly, in just a few days, the Japanese army suffered thousands of casualties and forced them to retreat, achieving a "Victory in Pyongyang", which made him overjoyed.
Especially after hearing about the effectiveness of firearms in it, he was extremely grateful for the previous purchase of firearms for the Luzon Governor's Palace - fortunately, he purchased a batch at that time, otherwise there would be no such results!
However, despite winning the "Great Victory in Pyongyang", the current situation in North Korea is still not optimistic.
At this time, seven of North Korea's eight roads have been lost, and only Ping'an Road is preserved. Of the three capitals of North Korea, only Pyongyang is still in the hands of the North Korean army.
Of the more than 100,000 Korean troops, only 50,000 were left on Ping'an Road. Most of them were defeated troops who came from other roads. Although their morale was boosted a little by the victory in Pyongyang, they were still a little timid in the face of the Japanese army. .
Admiral Yi Sun-shin succeeded in defeating the Japanese army several times on the water, but in fact the impact on the Japanese army was not great. Sea control was still firmly in the hands of the Japanese army. Basically, it can be said that North Korea's land and water have collapsed. about there.
Fortunately, the Japanese army was also blinded by this failure. They didn't know how the opponent's firearms could be so sharp. They thought they were supported by the Ming Dynasty, so they acted more cautiously and sent a large number of spies to go deep. Ping An Road, to find out the truth and falsehood of North Korea.
So after more than a month of fighting, the battlefield in North Korea briefly fell into calm.
…
Emperor Wanli touched his eyebrows tiredly. There were many memorials in front of him.
The merger of the two kings had just ended some time ago. He thought he could live in peace for a while, but he didn't expect that such a thing would happen again in Japan.
To be honest, he actually didn't want to go to war. It was too expensive. The Ming Dynasty had just finished the battle of Ningxia, and the national treasury was severely depleted. Although the money saved in those ten years was a lot, according to this expenditure, it was far greater than With the way you invest, it will be a matter of time before you run out of money.
Moreover, the ministers’ superiority also makes sense: North Korea does not resist, but comes to Ming whenever something happens. Ming is not their nanny, so why should he keep wiping their butts?
But if we don’t fight this battle, where will our great power be? What would other vassal states think of the Ming Dynasty?
Wanli felt that his brain was in chaos, so he simply pushed the memorial on the table, stood up, and left the imperial study.
He came to Concubine Zheng's palace, which had always been his spiritual haven. Whenever he had troubles, he would be happy to get along with Concubine Zheng and relax his body and mind.
Concubine Zheng was able to gain Wanli's favor not only by his appearance.
But this time, under the comfort of Concubine Zheng, his brows gradually relaxed.
"Your Majesty recently went out to study. How is your study going?"
Naturally, the two of them couldn't get along without their precious son, so Wanli asked him directly.
When Zhu Changxun was mentioned, Concubine Zheng's eyebrows were obviously more happy, and her words revealed a little pride:
"He is learning now. The master said he is very smart and is making rapid progress."
"Why don't you call me and take a look?"
When Wanli heard this, he also became curious.
So Zhu Changxun soon appeared in front of Emperor Wanli, with Yan Chenhao following from a distance.
Wanli picked up six-year-old Zhu Changxun, placed him on his knees, and asked lovingly:
"Xun'er, is it hard to study?"
"Without hard work, you can learn about ancient rituals and music, understand the principles of ancient and modern times, and enrich yourself with the wisdom of the ancients. It's too late for me to be happy!"
Xiao Zhu Changxun replied crisply, which made Wanli happy for a while.
My son is so eager to learn, he will definitely be a wise king in the future!
"What did Yan Aiqing teach you today?" Wanli smiled, preparing to show off his talent in front of his son and establish his image as a father.
Although he doesn't like his teacher very much, he has to admit that under his guidance, his cultural literacy is still very good, and can even be called excellent. Wanli is probably familiar with what Yan Chenhao taught him. Yes, you can also express your own opinions.
"What Master Yan taught me today is the 'False Way of Gong's Strange Remonstrance'." After Zhu Changxun finished speaking, he shook his head and recited:
"Gongzhi's admonition said: 'Guo is the epitome of Yu. If Guo dies, Yu will follow him. Jin can't start, and bandits can't play with it. One thing is too much, how can it be more? As the saying goes, 'auxiliary chariots' are dependent on each other, and the lips are dead and the teeth are cold. 'That's what they call Yu and Guo...'"
For Wanli, this is naturally child's play. He has recited this article countless times. After recalling how he was taught in the past, he smiled and watched Zhu Changxun recite it, preparing to finish it. Then speak.
However, when Zhu Changxun recited "the names of Yu and Guo", Wanli was startled. He recalled the Japanese invasion of Korea and couldn't help but murmured:
"The lips are dead and the teeth are cold..."
Did the Japanese invade Korea really just to occupy it?
He thought of the rumors that Jin Yiwei had heard and spread among the people - the reason why the Japanese army invaded was entirely because the King of Korea refused to lend a way to the Japanese army to invade the Ming Dynasty.
He originally dismissed it. After all, although this matter was widely spread among the people, North Korea did not report it to the Ming Dynasty (because it was worried that the Ming Dynasty would accuse North Korea of having an affair with Japan). But after hearing this story, he was He suddenly realized that once North Korea failed, the Japanese army would be faced with the vast Liaodong.
From the previous Japanese rebellion to the current invasion of North Korea, it can be seen that Japan is a very aggressive country, and North Korea is the partition between them.
Although the Ming Dynasty was not afraid of Japan, once the Japanese army invaded the Ming Dynasty by surprise... After all, it was an army of hundreds of thousands. Liaodong would inevitably become a battlefield, and the final loss would be the Ming Dynasty!
Defend the enemy outside the country! No matter what, it is better than fighting Japan at home!
The more Wan Li thought about it, the more it made sense. He looked up and saw that Zhu Changxun had memorized the entire chapter and was still looking at him eagerly, so he rubbed the little lucky king's head and praised:
"My son has studied well. He should study hard with Yan Aiqing. Yan Aiqing is the number one scholar in this dynasty. He..."
Wanli paused, as if he thought of something, and suddenly turned his head again and looked at Yan Chenhao aside.
Yan Chenhao sat upright, staring at Zhu Changxun, with a smile on his lips, which was a normal reaction to compliments.
It seems that this is just a coincidence. He nodded slightly, feeling that he might have thought too much.
At this moment, the eunuch's voice suddenly came from outside the palace:
"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from King Lee Ho of North Korea."
"The great victory in Pyongyang, the formation killed 20,000 Japanese troops, and the traitor chiefs Konishi Yukinaga and Kuroda Nagamasa only escaped with their lives!"
(End of chapter)
