"Father, Li Chenggui raised troops in anger, but we have no troops in our hands. How to resist?" Hearing that Li Chenggui raised troops, Li Qi did not panic, but immediately reported the news to his father Li Shanchang, who was hiding behind him. .
"Should we send people to Liaodong and Yingzhou to ask for help?"
Hearing that Li Chenggui sent troops, Li Shanchang was slightly shocked, and then smiled and said: "That Korean barbarian still has some wisdom."
"He knows that it is absolutely unreasonable to compete with us on the court situation. After all, we have the Ming Dynasty behind us, and the Goryeo court officials absolutely dare not disobey the Ming Dynasty's wishes."
Li Shanchang placed the sunspot in his hand at the opening of the capital city on the map, then lightly twirled his long beard and said with a smile: "Using troops to fight is what Li Chenggui is good at. You and I are not generals in the army, so there is no need to force yourself on the battlefield. Lift the edge."
"Moreover, it's just words. I, the Ming Dynasty, had better not take the initiative to raise troops to attack Goryeo. In the past, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty conquered Goryeo several times, wasting people and money, and the same mistakes are still there. Your Majesty has allowed me and my son to take charge of the war against Goryeo. If we still ask your Majesty to use troops, how can we show the abilities of my father and son?"
After all, the situation in Goryeo was different from that of Japan. The Japanese kingdom has already been divided, but Goryeo has only just provoked the orthodoxy dispute between the two kings. Li Chenggui kidnapped many ministers when he entered the army. If the Ming Dynasty invaded and caused casualties, Li Chenggui would most likely exaggerate the Ming Dynasty's ambition to enter Goryeo, and use this as an excuse to make the officials on his side give up.
Li Shan was good at power struggles and did not want the situation in Goryeo to turn into a military conflict.
Instead, we should continue to weaken Li Chenggui's authority and strength, causing him to destroy himself, and let the Koreans take the initiative to welcome this unfounded "new king" to the capital.
"But if we don't use soldiers, how can we resist Li Chenggui's attack?" Li Qi asked.
"Ahem, what's so difficult about this?" Although Li Shanchang coughed twice, he smiled happily. "When they come, we just hide!"
In mid-October, Li Qi and the new king of Goryeo led hundreds of Goryeo officials to cross the sea on a Ming army warship on Baekje Island and arrived at Tsushima Island, which was only separated by a strait. Today's Tsushima Island is already a concession between Japan and the Ming Dynasty. It is an important relay point for the Ming Dynasty to transport gold produced by the Sado Gold Mine, and is known to be garrisoned by the Ming Navy. Li Chenggui sent his troops to Jeju Island, but no matter what, he did not dare to send the Koryo Navy to attack this island, which was heavily guarded by the Ming Dynasty and was highly valued by the Ming Dynasty. No matter how helpless, they can only face each other across the sea from the Li family and his son on two islands.
Li Shanchang did not let Li Chenggui be too lonely. Every now and then, he sent a messenger to deliver letters to Li Chenggui, saying that Jeju Island was already the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Not only did Li Chenggui kill the king, but he also dared to send troops to invade and occupy the Ming Dynasty's land. Is he determined to seize the land of the Ming Dynasty? Being an enemy of the Ming Dynasty, might he still want to usurp the throne of Goryeo? Li Chenggui went on a military expedition and found nothing. After reading the letter, he felt even more overwhelmed, and the pressure from the Ming Dynasty he felt on his back became even heavier.
After thinking about it, after all, he and the Ming Dynasty are still in the stage of fighting with words. This time, his main purpose of sending troops is to defeat the rebels who have fled. Even if he can really capture Jeju Island, he does not dare to do anything to Li Qi from the Ming Dynasty.
But if the Ming Dynasty really sent troops in the name of Li Chenggui occupying the Ming Dynasty's land, then things would be out of control. Therefore, Li Chenggui had no choice but to withdraw from Jeju. At the same time, he sent a letter ordering Li Qi to extradite Goryeo's fugitives to show off.
Li Qi did not need to report to Li Shanchang this time. After reading the letter himself, he crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the sea. He said disdainfully: "He is fierce in appearance but soft in heart, but he is a villain." Then according to Li Shanchang's instructions, he returned to the army again and took over Jeju Island.
Hearing that the Ming army had taken over Jeju, Li Chenggui immediately stopped returning to the army and turned back to attack Jeju. Unexpectedly, the Li family and his son set sail again and he missed again.
This went back and forth three times. Once Li Chenggui could no longer withstand the pressure and withdrew, the Li family and his son immediately returned with a large number of Korean officials. When they heard that Li Chenggui had returned, they immediately evacuated to Tsushima Island. Li Chenggui visited the island three times but never saw a single person. He was so angry that one Buddha was born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven. He only felt that he was being deliberately tricked by Li Qi.
This back and forth also tormented Li Shanchang, who was already in poor health. Li Qi said distressedly: "Did father want to deliberately anger the thief? If so, he shouldn't torment his body like this. Let the child write a letter of provocation. Wouldn’t it be more effective to fight with half the effort?”
"Ahem, angry? No." Li Shanchang waved his hand weakly. "This back and forth is like child's play. Li Chenggui is considered a powerful figure among Koreans. How can he lose his mind just because of this anger?"
"Being a father is not to anger him, but to keep him here. If I don't come back, won't Li Chenggui calmly withdraw to the capital?"
"Haha, now that he is here, An makes it so easy for him to leave. Our Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette, so it would be good to keep him as a guest for a few more days."
Li Qi was still confused and said: "Father is running around like this just to keep him here? So what if he stays here? We don't have enough troops to completely annihilate this army."
"Father, do you have other plans?"
"Ahem...there are no other arrangements, it's just...the way to fight for power depends on the hearts of the people." Li Shanchang said. "My father asked you, at the end of the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhuo came to Beijing, and even the eighteen princes joined forces to defeat him, but he ultimately brought about his own defeat?"
"Of course it's because Thief Dong acted wildly and acted against the will, which caused the anger of heaven and the resentment of people..." Li Qi did not hesitate.
"Haha, that's not bad. Today's Li Chenggui is in Korea, just like Dong Zhuo was in the Han Dynasty in the past...Dong Zhuo started as a warlord in the border areas, so he was not allowed to be among the officials; Li Chenggui also started in a warlord, and he was in a hurry. It is difficult to win the support of both the Korean government and the public."
"Although Dong Zhuo's army was powerful, it was still difficult to suppress the people's hearts. At that time, there were still Wang Lang and other officials in the court, who were like undercurrents lurking under Dong Zhuo's lustful power, waiting for the opportunity. However, Dong Zhuo knew that he was holding the Han Emperor hostage, and he always stayed in Luoyang and Chang'an. Because of the undercurrent, he persisted for several years before Wang Lang found an opportunity. However, Li Chenggui had already left the capital and had even taken about half of his trusted soldiers out of the capital... Qier, if you were an official in the Goryeo Dynasty, What will you do at this time?”
Li Qi was refreshed, as if he had received an enlightenment. "My son understands! If my son is an official of Goryeo... he will definitely take advantage of Li Ni's absence in Beijing to remove his wings and straighten the government!"
"Ahem, they may not be able to rectify the situation. But there must be many people who are trying to take advantage of the opportunity to 'set things right' in order to avoid the Ming Dynasty's hatred, or even to gain glory and wealth." Li Shanchang said firmly.
At the fourth watch of the next night, Li Chenggui took advantage of the dark moon and high winds to send elite troops to raid Jeju Island and kidnap the "new king". However, Li Shanchang had expected it and arranged for everyone to stay overnight on the warship. When the Korean ship arrived, Just sail away. The warships of Goryeo and Ming Dynasty were now very different. Li Chenggui could not catch up, so he had to look forward and sigh. Just as he was thinking about how to catch the so-called new king and win back the name of righteousness, he received news from Kaijing City.
On October 3rd, officials from Jiaozhou Road gathered private soldiers, servants, and tenants at home to revolt, and launched the "Qing Jun Side" banner to annihilate Li Chenggui, and they were approaching Kaijing!
(End of chapter)
